Off Limits
by CandyCane85
Summary: Bella is in love.. with her sister's husband! How will she handle this, especially when he starts paying Bella a lot more attention! AU/AH Drabble Fic. Rated M for language and future lemons
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Hey guys! This is just a little plot bunny that's been bouncing around in my head for a while now. I will still be regularly updating SoaP for all of you that are following that story. This will be a drabble fic. I've never written one, but I am very excited to venture out and write this one! I will update at least 3 times a week, though I am going to try for at least once a day Monday through Friday. There will be some days that I will update more than once a day. Chapters will be short, probably around 300 words or so. I'm not sure yet just how long this fic will be, but expect a good amount of chapters!**

**This is unbeta'd, so any and all mistakes are mine.**

**This will primarily be in BPOV, but if I start to get enough requests for EPOV then I may give you guys a little treat every now and then :)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to SM. She owns, I'm just playing. **

BPOV

Chapter One

How long have I been in love with Edward Cullen? Well I've known him for a little over 6 years now, so I have been in love with him for.. a little over 6 years. For me it was love at first sight. The minute his bright green eyes locked onto my own brown ones, I was a goner. Unfortunately I was meeting him because he was dating my sister, Jessica.

Jessica is 3 years older than me. She was in college at UDub her sophomore year, when she called to say that she was bringing a boy home for Thanksigiving. I was so excited for my sister! I had always looked up to her and I was happy that she had finally found someone. That, of course, changed the minute Edward walked through the door. I went from happy to jealous in seconds. For the first time in my life I actually wanted something that my sister had.

The four days that they were in town for Thanksgiving were like torture to me. I had my first real crush on a guy and I had to sit by silently while he doted on my sister. While he kissed her. It was obvious that Edward was in love with Jessica. And he had no reason not to be. Jessica was very pretty with her light brown hair and blue eyes. She had a fun and bubbly personality that always seemed to attract people towards her. There was no reason for Edward not to be in love with her.

I was love sick for Edward and no one knew it. When Jessica brought him home on breaks I would be moody and almost unbearable to be around in my attempts to hide my feelings for Edward. When they were gone I tried to act normal, but I could never quite snap myself out of my Edward-induced funk. At least not until the night of my high school graduation. That was the night he asked me if he could marry my sister.

**A/N – Love it? Hate it? Should I continue? Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

BPOV

Chapter Two

Jessica and Edward came in from Seattle the night of my high school graduation. I was valedictorian of my class, just as Jessica had been valedictorian of her class, and after graduation was over my parents threw a small party for our family and friends at our house. There were relatives from out of town who had come in to watch me graduate, as well as my best friend Alice. She and I had grown up together and she was the only person in the world who knew about my secret crush on Edward.

I was talking to Alice when I felt Edward behind me. It was like my body knew he was there. Before he even spoke I could feel my heart start to beat faster and my body start to heat up. It was the same reaction that I always had when he was near me.

"Bella, I was wondering if I could steal you away for a minute?" He asked me. I looked up at him and nodded. He gave me his signature crooked grin that always made me weak in the knees and then led me out to the back deck. This was the first time that he and I had ever been alone together and my mind was in overdrive.

"I'm sorry to take you away from your party, Bella, but there's something that I've been wanting to talk to you about. Something really important. I've already talked to your dad and he is okay with it, so now I just need to talk to you."

All I could think was that this was it. This was the moment that Edward finally told me that I wasn't the only one with these feelings. He was going to tell me that he only stayed with Jessica because that meant he could see me. It was going to break my sister's heart, but I was going to be able to be with Edward! Or so I thought.

Edward looked at me with a nervous grin before saying "I bought a ring for Jessica. I'm going to ask her to marry me. Tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

BPOV

Chapter Three

I told Edward as quickly as possible that I was happy for him and then ran back in the house. I grabbed Alice by the arm and drug her up to my room where I promptly cried for the rest of the night. The next day when I woke up Edward and Jessica were "out" and when they returned she was sporting a big shiny ring on her left ring finger. It was official.

After that day I was determined to get over Edward. It was bad enough that I had let him consume my every thought for the past year and a half. I wasn't going to let that continue happening, especially not now that he was going to be my brother-in-law. It was beyond wrong of me to have these feelings for him when he was just my sister's boyfriend. It had to stop once he married into my family.

So two years later he and Jessica tied the knot in a lavish church ceremony. She had 10 bridesmaids and invited every person she had ever met and turned the wedding into a big society party. But she was happy and Edward seemed happy to let her have her way. I stood next to Jessica as her Maid of Honor as she and Edward exchanged vows. My heart started to break just a little, but I pushed down all feelings that I had towards Edward.

When the wedding and reception were over Alice and my college roommate Rosalie took me out to the nearest bar where I proceeded to get wasted. I needed to forget about everything. A week later I met Jacob Black in one of my college classes and we started dating. He became my first everything and now, two years later, we were still together. Sort of.


	4. Chapter 4

BPOV

Chapter Four

I walked into the boutique that Alice owned and plopped down on one of the couches with a sigh. Alice just quirked one of her eyebrows at me, waiting for me to spill about whatever was bothering me.

"Alice, I think that there is something wrong with me. Like seriously something physically wrong with me."

It was nine in the morning so the store hadn't opened yet and Alice and I were the only ones there. Alice and I had gone into business together almost the minute we graduated from NYU. She had majored in fashion and I majored in business. So with the help of her dad and the bank, we decided to just work for ourselves instead of trying to climb the corporate ladder. We opened this boutique, _Icon_, and while Alice handled all of the fashion end of things, I handled the business end. We had been in business for four months now and we were doing extremely well.

"Why do you think there's something wrong with you?" Alice asked. "Are you sick?"

I shook my head. I was so embarrassed by what I was about to admit to her, but I knew I had to tell her. I couldn't keep it to myself any longer.

"No I'm not sick. I think that there is something sexually wrong with me."

Alice just stared at me. I'm sure that surprised her. "Bella, how can there be something sexually wrong with you? You have sex. Lots of it. With a man. And I know you can't tell me that you're really a man because I've seen you naked too many times."

"No, I'm not trying to say that I'm a man. Alice, I can't get off when I'm with Jake. I have to fake my orgasms."

She stared at me for a second before she started laughing. Not quite the reaction I was expecting.


	5. Chapter 5

BPOV

Chapter Five

"Bella," Alice said once she was finally able to get herself under control. "It's completely normal to fake your orgasms sometimes. I think you are just being overly worried."

I shook my head. "No, Alice. I don't mean sometimes. I mean ALL the time. Jake just doesn't do it for me anymore."

Well that got her attention. "Wait you mean you never get off? But have you ever? Surely you did when you first starting having sex with him. You told me that the sex was great!"

"I know and it was. But over the past six months or so I've not really even wanted to have sex with Jake. I just don't feel it with him anymore. He's such a great guy and I love him, but I don't think I'm in love with him. I don't think that I can keep doing this with him."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Bella, you do realize that six months ago your sister moved here to New York. Your sister and her husband. Please tell me that this isn't about some high school crush that you used to have on Edward."

"No! I barely even saw them when they first moved here! You know that I got over him. I made myself. I barely even knew Edward when I was crushing on him in high school and I stopped thinking of him that way once they got engaged."

But even saying the words I knew that they were only slightly true. I did try to stop thinking about Edward after the engagement and definitely after the wedding. And I really had succeeded. I met Jake and he was so great. We started dating and I was in love with him. I rarely ever thought about Edward.

Alice knew me better than I thought, though. "You told me just a few weeks ago that you've been talking to Edward. That the two of you hang out sometimes when he is close by for work. Bella, tell me the truth. Is there something happening between you and Edward?"

**A/N – Up next Bella will tell about some of her time with Edward.. and then I promise to give you a little one-on-one time with Bella and Edward :)**

**Thank you to everyone that has read, favorited, and reviewed this story! It means so much to me!**


	6. Chapter 6

BPOV

Chapter Six

"No, Alice," I said to her. "There is nothing going on between Edward and me. When we do see each other it isn't like that. We usually just meet at a coffee shop or diner and catch up. Plus I think that Jessica even knows that we talk. It's no big deal at all."

But even thought that was what I was telling her, it wasn't quite true. It was a big deal to me. When Edward and Jessica first moved here I didn't think much of it. I'd pushed aside my feelings for Edward and had a great life with Jake. When I ran into Edward a few months ago, he was friendly and asked if I wanted a cup of coffee to catch up.

What I hadn't told Alice was that our meetings were becoming more and more frequent. At first I only saw him about once or twice a month. But over the past two months or so those meetings had increased. I was seeing him about once a week now. It was always the same. He would text me when he had a free minute from work and we would go somewhere and catch up. It was always somewhere public and we never did anything but talk. But the meetings were really starting to wear on my heart.

Over the past couple of months I had found out just how amazing Edward really is. They moved here for Edward's job. He was in the entertainment industry and recruited new talent. They had been living in LA, but when his company opened an office in New York, they sent Edward. I knew that Jessica was having a hard time adjusting because she had loved LA, but Edward was thriving here. He loved the city. It was one of the many things that we had in common.

As I was thinking about Edward and the fact that I wasn't careful with my feelings I would end up hurt, my phone chimed with a text.

**Busy? I really need coffee. –E**

It only took me a second to text him back. **Sounds good! I will meet you at our usual place in fifteen minutes. ~B**

Alice watched me texting with a knowing look on her face. As I told her bye all she said was "Be careful, Bella. I don't want you to end up hurt."

I nodded and walked out the door to meet Edward. Unfortunately I was fairly certain that where Edward was concerned there was no way I couldn't get hurt. He meant too much to me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – Here's another chapter today for all of my wonderful readers :)**

BPOV

Chapter Seven

I got to the coffee shop and saw Edward sitting at our usual table, with two cups of coffee on the table. I had to smile at how sweet he was for remembering what I order and getting it for me. He had not seen me yet, so I was able to take a second to just really look at him. If I thought Edward had been handsome when my sister first brought him home, it was nothing compared to the man that he had grown into. He was devastatingly handsome. His gorgeous hair was in a perpetual state of disarray that made my fingers itch to run through it. He had such a great face.. a perfect nose, strong jawline and eyes that made my knees weak. And when he smiled I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. There was nothing that could compare to his gorgeous smile.

I made my way to the table and he looked up as I sat down. There was that smile!

"Bella, hey, thanks for meeting me. I grabbed some coffee for you."

"Thanks! And it's no problem. I was at the shop with Alice earlier, so it was no big deal to come here."

He smiled again and leaned forward. "Let me guess. I was the perfect excuse to make sure that Alice didn't start making you pair outfits together for customers?" He asked with a slight twinkle in his eye. Edward knew my aversion to actually working in the boutique with the clothes.

"Well you did make a pretty good excuse. Plus I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

He smirked at me and said, "You just saw me last week. Did you miss me, Bella?"

I could feel my face burning from my blush. Of course it had only been a week. That really wasn't any time at all, especially when it was just for meeting my brother-in-law for a quick cup of coffee. I really needed to be more careful of what I said around Edward.

Before I could come up with anything to say, Edward leaned forward and placed his hand over mine and whispered "It's okay, I missed you, too."


	8. Chapter 8

BPOV

Chapter Eight

I couldn't look away from Edward's eyes as his words played through my head. _I missed you, too._ What did that mean? Did it mean he missed my company? He missed talking to me? Or did he just miss.. me?

Edward was staring back at me and the moment was intense. I could feel the air thickening around us. My eyes inadvertently flickered down to his lips. He had great lips. I couldn't stop myself then from fantasizing about what he would taste like to kiss. I licked my lips at the thought and heard a slight gasp from Edward. I looked back up to his eyes and saw him staring at my lips. But then the next thing I knew, he shook his head and slipped his hand away from mine, leaning back in his chair.

The next few minutes were awkward. I wasn't really sure what had just happened, if anything. Was I imagining the connection that I just felt to him? And the way that he had been looking at me?

Before I could analyze my thoughts any further, my cell alerted me to a text. It was from Alice.

I looked up at Edward and smiled at him. "I'm sorry to run, but that's Alice. Apparently one of her workers didn't show up today and she needs help at the store. Looks like I'm going to be matching outfits after all."

Edward smiled back at me and stood up next to me. "No problem, Bella. I should probably head back to work anyway. But thanks again for coming here to meet me."

I left the coffee shop in a state of complete confusion. I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I still had it bad for Edward. And while I wasn't sure what to do regarding him, I knew that there was one thing that had to be done. I had to break up with Jake.


	9. Chapter 9

BPOV

Chapter Nine

After Alice finally closed up the boutique for the day, I headed out so that I could talk to Jake. I had told Alice what I was going to do and she suggested that afterwards she, Rose and myself all go out and get drinks. Let loose a little bit. I agreed. I had a feeling that this conversation wasn't going to be nice and I would be needing that drink.

I got to Jake's apartment and let myself in with my key. Then I promptly took the key off of the key ring and laid it on the table next to the door. There would be no need for me to have that anymore.

I found Jake in his living room drinking a beer and playing a video game.

"Bella!" He said when he realized I was there. "I didn't realize that you were heading over here today. How's it going babe?"

His eyes never left the TV as he continued to play his game. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Lately all that ever happened when we hung out was me watching him play games. Our relationship had entered into some comfortable friend zone with sex every once in a while and I guess it took admitting my feelings for Edward to see it.

"Jake, we need to talk."

"Yea okay, babe. What's up?" He asked, never turning from the game. Exasperated, I walked to the TV and turned it off.

"What the hell? I was playing that!"

I couldn't help but inwardly role my eyes at how childish he sounded. Like a little boy whose mom just took away his favorite game.

"Jake, I mean it. I need us to talk."

He knew. I could tell from the way his posture changed and his body tensed that he knew. But he didn't say anything so I went on.

"This isn't working anymore. This relationship. Jake, you know how much I care about you. But we aren't in love and you know it. We are comfortable. But we both deserve more than comfortable. I'm breaking up with you, Jake."

I'd said it. I couldn't believe that I finally did it, but it felt amazing. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me.

Jake still hadn't said anything and it was getting kind of awkward so I stood up to head back out the door.

"It's because of him, isn't it?"

I stopped mid-step and turned back around to face Jake. He was still sitting on the couch, just staring straight ahead.

"What are you talking about, Jake?" I asked him, though I had a bad feeling that I knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Don't play dumb with me, Bella. It's because of Edward. You're in love with him."

Even though I knew it was coming, I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped me. How the hell did he know that? I had never told anyone but Alice and then Rose about my feelings for Edward, and that was years ago!

Jake finally turned to look at me and said "I can see it every time you mention his name. Every time we've had to have a family dinner with him and your sister. You might have fooled everyone else, but you never fooled me. You always looked at Edward the way that I wanted you to look at me."

I knew then that I had hurt Jake and I felt terrible. I felt like such a bitch.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I really loved you, Jake. I promise that I did."

He shook his head and held up his hand when he saw me walking back towards him. "Just go, Bella. Please just go."

I hesitated for just a second before I finally walked out of his apartment. That was one of the hardest things that I had ever had to do. I hurt Jake, a really great guy, all for a man that could never be mine. Everything was just so fucked up.

**A/N – Longer than my normal posts, but I didn't want to split this into two chapters. Also, if you like the slightly longer post, please let me know and I can make them all about this length, but they will never be longer than this! Thanks for reading :)**


	10. Chapter 10

BPOV

Chapter Ten

After the disaster of breaking up with Jake, I headed straight to Alice's apartment. Rose was already there and before I could say anything they handed me my favorite drink – a shot of Patron. I downed it and then told them what happened. I even told them what he said about Edward and about how I was feeling towards my brother-in-law.

"Bella, I hate to say it but I think that you should probably stop these little outings or whatever they are with Edward. It's making things worse, not better," Alice said to me gently.

I nodded. "I know I need to and I will, but I need to figure out what to say to Edward. We are friends and he will be hurt when I just start ignoring him."

Rose rolled her eyes and said "He will get over it, Bella. He is your brother-in-law, not your boyfriend. You guys may be friends, but he is Jessica's husband first and foremost. You are beating yourself up over a guy that very likely sees you as a sister. I'm not trying to hurt you honey, but I've got to say something to get through to you. You need to stop hanging out with Edward and you need to stop immediately. He will be fine."

Rose was right. She was blunt, out-spoken, and extremely direct in her opinions, but she was absolutely right. I had to stop hanging out with Edward. It was getting out of hand and I had already allowed to ruin one relationship that I had. Granted I didn't think that Jake and I would have made it together regardless of whether Edward was in the picture, but I hurt Jake because of Edward. It wasn't fair to him and if I got into another serious relationship at some point in the future, I didn't need to let the same thing happen. Edward couldn't consume my life, not when he was nothing more than just my brother-in-law.

The three of us took a couple of more shots and got ready to go out. We decided to go to Twilight. It was an awesome nightclub that had lots of plush couches and seats to sit, but there was also a dance floor where we could let loose if we want. A great distraction for the night. It also helped that Rose's boyfriend Emmett was a bartender there while he worked his way through an MBA program. Free drinks!

We got to the club and made our way to a couch that was close enough to the dance floor to see what was happening, but not so close that people would fall over us. Emmett had seen us walk in, so we knew that drinks were currently being made for us. And sure enough, not ten minutes later he walked over with 3 beers for us and a round of shots.

We'd been there for about an hour when Alice went to the bar to grab more drinks. She was gone for a lot longer than normal, and just as I was about to go find her, I saw her walking back to where we were sitting with a cute blonde guy behind her.

"Hey, this is Jasper!" She said to Rose and me when she got back to us. "I met him at the bar and he bought us a round of shots. They are being brought to his table. He's here with one of his friends and invited us to come sit with them. Do you guys want to go?"

I looked at Rose and she just shrugged. I could tell that Alice was really excited about this guy. She was bouncing on her heels and had a huge grin across her face. The guy seemed nice enough and was definitely cute. So I shrugged at Alice and said "Sure, why not?"

As we were walking over there Rose leaned in and whispered in my ear "Who knows, Bella, maybe his friend is hot. A one night stand might do you some good!" I should have known then that the Patron was getting to me because I found myself nodding in agreement.


	11. Chapter 11

BPOV

Chapter Eleven

Jasper led us over to his table with Alice by his side. Rose and I trailed after them, and Rose took it upon herself to make a fuss over me as we walked. She ran her fingers through my hair to "fix" it and told me to put on some lip gloss. She wasn't joking about getting me laid tonight.

I was giggling at Rose and her attempt to make me look extra sexy when I heard someone say my name. I froze because I would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Edward.

I turned towards his voice and saw him sitting at the table that Jasper had led us towards. He had a glass of whiskey in front of him and his signature smirk on his face.

"Jasper, how do you know Bella?" Edward asked him.

"I met Alice here at the bar and bought these ladies some shots and invited them over. How do you know Bella?"

Before he could answer Jasper, Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bathroom, telling the boys that we would be right back. Rose followed us. I didn't know what to think. I was here trying to get over Edward. Of all the bars in New York, why did he have to come to this one?

"Holy shit, that was Edward?" Rose asked. "He's super hot."

"That's not helping, Rose. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I'm tipsy and Edward is here. Shit."

"It will be okay, Bella," Alice replied. "We can leave now. Or at least go back to our table. We don't have to sit there with them."

I shook my head at her. "No, that's not fair to you. I know you really want to hang out with Jasper and he seems nice. Besides, what am I supposed to say to Edward? He's not going to understand why I'm ignoring him. I haven't exactly told him yet that we can't hang out anymore."

"Bella's right," Rose said. "Besides this will be a good time for you to tell him that it isn't a good idea for the two of you to keep doing things together. You're just drunk enough that you might actually say the words to him since it's doubtful you will ever tell him when you're sober."

I sighed. She was right. I needed a little liquid courage to have that conversation with him. "Come on, they are probably wondering why we left so abruptly. Let's head back out there so that I can get this over with."

We headed back towards the table and Alice immediately went to sit next to Jasper. I hesitated on where to sit, but Rose pushed me towards the chair next to Edward. I guess that was her subtle way of telling me to start talking to him.

"You know, even though you've graduated from college and have started your own business, I often forget that you aren't just the high school kid that I first met all those years ago. Then I see you out somewhere like this, dressed in something far too revealing, and I suddenly remember that you aren't a little girl anymore," Edward said to me, leaning close to my ear.

How do I respond to that? He's both saying that he does still see me as a kid and also as an adult. This man was so hard to figure out! And saying that what I was wearing was too revealing? Ugh, he obviously did just see me as a big brother that needed to scold his younger sister for her outfit choices.

I straightened my shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "I'm not a child, Edward. And this outfit is nothing compared to other _revealing_ clothes that I have in my closet. But I save those for when I want to get good and fucked."

I saw his eyes widen and his nostrils flare. Holy hell, why had I said that? Maybe I had a little too much liquid courage in me.

Edward's eyes roamed over my body and then back to my face. "Bella, you look like you want to get good and fucked right now. Is that what you want tonight?"

**A/N – Things are about to pick up here for Edward and Bella! But since some people have asked – Bella and Edward will not be having sex while he is still with Jessica. Stay tuned to find out what exactly is happening between our favorite couple, as well as Edward and Jessica! :)**

**Also, as an incentive for my readers and reviewers, I will do a few EPOVs once I get 50 reviews!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here are the ages of our characters:**

**Bella, Alice and Rosalie – 22**

**Jessica and Edward – 25**

**Jasper – 27**

**Emmett – 23**

BPOV

Chapter Twelve

_Edward's eyes roamed over my body and then back to my face. "Bella, you look like you want to get good and fucked right now. Is that what you want tonight?"_

I didn't know what to say to him. I had a feeling that a response of "yes, please, but only by you" wouldn't go over very well. Luckily I was saved from responding by Rosalie.

"Hey, I'm going to talk to Emmett and get more drinks. Do you want anything?" She asked me.

I shook my head. I definitely didn't need any more alcohol. When she left, I was once again alone with Edward. Alice and Jasper were dancing and the tension between Edward and myself was palpable. I felt awkward and unsure of what to say.

"Your friend Rosalie, does she know the bartender?" Edward asked. I sighed in relief. Thankfully he wasn't going to make me answer his earlier question.

I nodded and said "Yea, they're dating. She and Emmett have been together for a couple of years now. He's a great guy."

I was so confused by Edward and by my feelings and it didn't help that I was drunk from all the shots. I needed to know what was going on. I needed to know why he kept asking me to meet him when we had never been close. I just needed to know everything.

"Edward, where's Jessica tonight?"

I saw him tense slightly and look away from me. "She went out with her friends," is all he would answer. At that point I wish that my sister and I were close. There was something weird about the way Edward acted when I mentioned her, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to tell me. It would have been a lot easier if I could have picked up the phone and asked her. But we barely talked, so I knew any questions directed at Jessica would raise suspicions.

Before I could ask any more questions, Edward turned back to me and asked "Will you dance with me, Bella?"

It was a bad idea. I knew without a doubt that I needed to tell him no. My feelings for Edward were too strong and the tension between us too thick for anything good to come from this. But I was a glutton for punishment. So I nodded and he grabbed my hand, leading me out onto the dance floor.

I really did try to keep distance between myself and Edward as we danced, but there were too many people on the dance floor for us to stay far away. We kept getting pushed together by the other people dancing. Edward eventually just grabbed my hips and kept me in place in front of him. Our bodies weren't touching, but only barely. If I moved forward even an inch we would be pressed against each other.

Edward's green eyes were burning into mine. The way he was looking at me made me feel wanted. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes. It was almost predatory. Edward kept one hand on my hip while he brought the other one up to my face. I felt his thumb graze my cheek and I leaned into the touch. He ran his thumb across my cheekbone and then brought it down to my lips. I watched his eyes as he brushed my bottom lip. He was watching my lips and I saw the look in his eyes. He started to lean into me and I knew then what was about to happen. Edward was about to kiss me. So I did the only thing that I could do. I pushed Edward away from me as hard as I could and I turned and ran.

**A/N – So was Edward going to kiss Bella? Did Bella do the right thing? And what's happening with Jessica? Stay tuned to find out! And remember.. once there are 50 reviews I will do a few chapters in EPOV!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N – Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm sorry that I haven't replied the past couple of days, but I have read them and I do intend to start replying again so that you guys will know how much I appreciate them :)**

BPOV

Chapter Thirteen

I pushed my way off the dance floor as fast as I could. I needed away from Edward. I couldn't trust myself to deny him again. I don't know how I stopped myself that time. Somewhere deep inside me must still be some semblance of a sane woman and not just the girl that wants her brother-in-law.

I felt someone grab my wrist and I sighed in relief when I realized it was Alice. I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes and I leaned against her for support. She wrapped her arms around me and led me to the front of the club and out the door. She must have signaled for Rose because she was suddenly standing on the other side of me.

"Bella, what happened?" Alice asked.

"Edward tried to kiss me! We were dancing and he tried to kiss me!"

"Holy shit, he seriously tried kissing you?" Alice asked and I nodded. Just then I saw Jasper and Edward head outside, with Emmett close behind them.

I turned away from Edward so that he couldn't see me cry. Jasper came up next to Alice and I heard him asking her what was going on. Before she could answer, Emmett reached us and in a loud voice asked "Ladies, are these two guys bothering you?"

Emmett was quite intimidating when he wanted to be. Big and muscled, he didn't look like someone to be messed with and I knew that if he really thought that we were being bothered, it wouldn't be pretty for Jasper and Edward.

"That one is okay," Rose said pointing at Jasper, "but that one could use a good ass kicking," she finished with a look at Edward. I saw Edward's eyes widen and Emmett took a step towards him.

"Emmett, no!" I exclaimed, stepping in front of him. "Please Emmett, I know him. He's fine. I just need to leave."

"Are you sure, Bella?" He asked me.

I nodded. "I promise. He's my brother-in-law."

That stopped Emmett and I turned back to Alice. "Please let's go, Alice. Now."

She nodded and whispered something to Jasper before grabbing my hand and walking towards a cab with me. I thought that I was going to get away without having to speak to Edward, but that was too much to hope for. I heard him say my name and I stopped, but I didn't turn around.

"Bella, please. Look at me. Let me explain. Let me apologize."

I turned around and said "There's nothing to explain, Edward. It doesn't matter. I'm drunk. We are both drunk. Nothing happened and we are just drunk. I need to go."

I started to turn back around but his next words stopped me.

"I'm not drunk, Bella. And something did happen. Something we need to talk about."

Why did he have to say that? Why couldn't he just agree with me that we were drunk and forget it. Holiday dinners might be slightly awkward for a little while, but we could eventually forget it. Why wasn't he willing to let me forget it?

I didn't know what to say to him, but luckily Rose spoke for me. "You may not be drunk, but she is. We are bringing her home. You should go home as well. You know, back to your wife."

And with that she ushered me into a cab. I saw a glimpse of Edward's face as we drove away. He looked so sad, but I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment. I just wanted to pretend like I wasn't in this fucked-up situation for as long as I could. I knew eventually I would have to face this, but not yet.


	14. Chapter 14

EPOV

Chapter Fourteen

My night was a complete and utter failure. I'd let my best friend Jasper talk me into going out as a way to escape the complicated problems of my life only to end up sitting next to one of the problems. Well, I wouldn't call Bella a problem. At least I didn't want her to be. And that in itself was the problem, since I was still technically married to her sister.

Jasper knew about my less than pure feelings for my younger sister-in-law. I never meant to tell him, but a bottle of Jack and a bad night two months ago had me spilling everything to him. Surprisingly he took it better than I expected. Well, after he called me a perverted douche he took it better than I expected.

I never meant to start having feelings for Bella. When I first met her six years before she was just the kid sister of the girl I was dating. She was still just a teenager, barely even old enough to drive. She was awkward and gangly and I thought of her as nothing more than a kid. I was completely infatuated with Jessica. I thought that I was in love with Jessica. I can't help but laugh at myself now when I think about that. Like I knew what it meant to be in love.

I thought that Jessica was all I wanted in a wife. She was fun and outgoing. She was always the life of the party. People liked her and it made me happy to see her smiling. I mistook being comfortable around someone for love. And then I thought that the best thing to do after graduation would be to marry Jessica.

The wedding should have been my first clue that Jessica and I weren't really meant to be together. After proposing to her, I told her that I really wanted a small wedding at my parents' house. I saw no reason to spend money on some big affair when both of us were trying to make it in the entertainment business. I was starting out at a company that recruited new talent and Jessica was trying to be a publicist. I wanted us to save our money for the move to Los Angeles. But Jessica refused. She wanted the big wedding and would not take "no" for an answer.

I was miserable at my own wedding. There were people there that I don't think I had ever even actually met. I spent all of two minutes with Jessica at the reception during our first dance and cutting the cake and then never saw her again until it was time to leave. She was so drunk at that point that she passed out before we even made it to the hotel.

Things got worse over the next couple of years. Jessica could never quite make it as a publicist, but I was very lucky in the entertainment business. I quickly moved my way up in my company and within about a year I had a fantastic job. So Jessica decided then that she should just be a housewife. Of course, her idea of being a housewife included days at the spa, shopping, and paying someone else to actually take care of our house. But I wanted our marriage to work, so I never said anything.

Things started to completely fall apart once I was offered the job in New York. Jessica did not want to leave, but I finally put my foot down. Since I was the one making the money, I was going to make it where I wanted to, and that was in New York. Jessica didn't argue because she knew that I was serious. But within the few months it took us to finish all of my business in Los Angeles, our marriage had completely deteriorated.

Jessica was all I had ever really known. I hadn't dated much in high school and she was the only real girlfriend that I had in college. I didn't blame everything on her. Sure she had her faults, but I was just as much to blame as Jessica. I should have put my foot down early on in our relationship and not let her control everything. By the time I was ready to have any control, she wasn't ready to relinquish the control that she had. Jessica and I were under no illusions by that point that we were still in love. Honestly, I don't think we ever really were. It was convenient and comfortable, but nothing more. So we did the only thing that we could think of before moving to New York. We decided to move together and then figure out the best way to go about telling our families and getting a divorce.

**A/N – So nothing terrible happened, but Edward and Jessica both mutually decided that they shouldn't continue in their marriage. Next chapter will also be from EPOV and will explain a little more about where he and Jessica are in their upcoming divorce as well as his feelings for Bella. **


	15. Chapter 15

EPOV

Chapter Fifteen

When I ran into Bella right after graduation, I didn't think much of it. I still thought of her as Jessica's kid sister. I asked her to grab a cup of coffee with me so that I could see how she was doing since she graduated. She and Jessica didn't really talk a lot. I knew that they were close when they were younger, but that had changed after Jessica left for college. She loved Bella, but she didn't feel like she had anything in common with her younger sister. So even though we were living in the same city as Bella, we didn't actually talk to her very much.

While sitting with her in the coffee shop I couldn't help but notice how much she had changed. She was still quiet and not nearly as outgoing as Jessica, but she wasn't the shy little kid that I remembered. She had outgrown her awkward teenage phase and was now a very beautiful woman. Where Jessica's looks were all about the clothes and the jewelry and the make-up, Bella's were all natural. Her long brown hair was soft and slightly wavy and she had on very little make-up. The more I looked at her, the more I realized just how beautiful she was.

Jessica and I hadn't made it to her graduation from NYU, but Bella told me that she had graduated Summa Cum Laude in her business program. She was obviously very smart to have been able to achieve that at NYU. She then went on to tell me how she and her friend Alice had started a business together. Alice was the running the boutique and Bella was running the business side of the store. I was amazed at how much she had already accomplished.

A couple of weeks later I saw an advertisement for Bella and Alice's store, _Icon_. I felt bad that Jessica had never taken any interest in what Bella had accomplished, even after I told her about running into her younger sister. So I decided to swing by the store and check it out myself. I was also hoping that Bella would be there and I could talk her into going to get coffee with me again.

The store was great. I really didn't know much about women's fashion, but Jessica used to drag me in and out of boutiques in Los Angeles, so I had a vague idea of what a boutique should look like and it seemed that Alice and Bella had nailed it. And if the large number of women that came through the door and left with lots of bags full of clothes were any indication, business was going great.

I asked one of the sales associates if Bella was there, but she told me that both owners were out for the day. So I sent Bella a text, asking if she wanted to meet me the next day and catch up. I was very excited when she replied back telling me yes.


	16. Chapter 16

EPOV

Chapter Sixteen

I don't know at what point exactly my feelings toward Bella changed. But one day about two months after our first meeting, I looked at her as she told a story from her college days and I realized that I had feelings for her. My wife and I were barely speaking, except to determine that over Thanksgiving we would travel back to Washington and tell our families that we were separating. I spent evenings alone in my guest room because I didn't want to sleep next to Jessica. And I thought about Bella. And while I watched her face light up as she told story after story, I realized that I thought about Bella because I wanted Bella. I was falling for her.

That night I got hammered. I was disgusted with myself for even have these feelings for someone while I was still technically married in the first place. But I was even more disgusted with myself for having them about Bella. I was her brother-in-law. She probably saw me as just an extension of her family. She would probably run away screaming if I told her the truth. Which meant I could never tell her.

That was the night that Jasper found me, wasted out of my mind, and I told him everything. The next day he made me clean up and go get breakfast with him. He finally told me that even though I was being a little pathetic, that I wasn't exactly doing anything wrong. I was filing for divorce from Jessica, which was a mutual agreement between both of us, and I wasn't cheating on her. Having coffee with my sister-in-law wasn't considered a bad thing by most people. He told me to keep it to myself until after the divorce, and then if I was still having the feelings I could talk to Bella.

So that was my plan. Jessica and I had been speaking to lawyers and trying to get everything settled. She wanted the house in Los Angeles that we had kept and I agreed to give it to her. I had no desire to go back there and I was happy with our townhouse in New York. She kept her car and was going to get a nice alimony check from me every month for the next 4 years. The divorce would be finalized right before Thanksgiving. We would travel back to Washington together and tell our families, and then Jessica would leave there for Los Angeles and I would come back to New York and hopefully be able to keep talking to Bella. My plan was to stay her friend and then when enough time had passed, talk to her about my feelings. But I ruined that plan tonight with a single dance at a club.

When Jasper brought her and her friends over to our table, I almost fell out of the chair that I was sitting in. Bella looked amazing. Any time that I had ever seen her, she was always very conservative in the way that she dressed. But not tonight. She had on a deep blue dress that left her arms bare and showed off her long legs. I knew she was beautiful, but I had no idea that she was hiding that body under her clothes. My body immediately reacted to her.

When she mentioned getting fucked, I lost it. My brain was no longer working and I responded back by asking her if that was what she was wanting to happen tonight. Luckily before it could go any further her friend, Rose, interrupted us. But then I had to go and ask her to dance with me. I knew that it would be a bad idea to have her that close, but I couldn't stop myself.

The minute my hands touched her hips, I was a goner. She felt so perfect in my arms, even if we weren't hardly touching. I brought one hand up to touch the lips that I had been dreaming about and I thought that I saw something in her eyes, something close to what I was feeling. I knew that I should have stopped then, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to kiss her. I felt like I would die if I didn't kiss her. But before it could happen she pushed me away and ran.

I felt terrible for what had happened. I followed her outside to check on her, but she wouldn't let me talk to her and explain. She said we were both drunk and that nothing happened. I wanted to kick myself then. I wasn't drunk at all and I didn't know that Bella was. I had only seen her take one shot and drink half a beer. If I had known that she had had way more than that I never would have talked to her the way that I did or asked her to dance. I had fucked up so bad. And I really needed to fix it.


	17. Chapter 17

BPOV

Chapter Seventeen

I woke up with a pounding headache after the night of the "almost kiss," as I had named it. I felt like shit and that was only partially due to the alcohol. What the fuck had I been thinking? I flirted with Edward. There was no mistaking that. I basically told him that I had hopes of getting fucked, which was beyond inappropriate for me to say to my brother-in-law. Then I danced with him. What the hell was wrong with me?

I rolled out of bed and checked my phone. Three missed calls, a voicemail, and two texts from Edward. I didn't even bother checking any of them. I was too embarrassed to have anything to say to him at the moment.

I showered and then went over to Rose's place. Alice and Jasper had really hit if off the night before and were spending the day together. Emmett was still sleeping from having been at work all night, so I was able to talk to Rose. She, of course, was not happy with anything that had happened the night before.

"We should have left the minute that we saw Edward with Jasper. I don't know what I was thinking letting you sit with him, knowing how you feel. I blame myself," she told me.

"How could you have known what would happen? I had decided to tell Edward that I wasn't going to hang out with him anymore. You had no way of knowing that I was instead going to act like a complete idiot and go dance with the man that I'm crushing on."

"He's such a fucking asshat. What kind of man tries to kiss his sister-in-law? You're practically related to him. I should have let Emmett kick his ass last night."

That wasn't fair of her at all. "Rose, I love you. And I know that you love me. And I know that something happened last night that probably shouldn't have. But you can't protect me from everything. I'm a big girl and I need to deal with this situation without you having your very big and very scary boyfriend beat someone up for me."

Rose looked contrite and I felt bad for saying anything to her. Honestly, I wasn't mad at her. I knew that she was just looking out for me and I was taking my frustrations out on her, so I told her so.

"No, you're right, Bella. I'm just pissed that he took advantage of you. Or tried to take advantage of you. Or whatever the fuck he did. You deserve someone just as great as you. I just want to make sure that that's what you are getting."

I hugged Rose and told her that I understood. Honestly, I was lucky to have friends like Rose and Alice that would look after me and not judge me for my feelings. Because at the moment, I couldn't even begin to understand what was happening with me. One half of me was so pissed at Edward for trying to make a move on me while he was married to my sister. My freaking sister! But then the other half was swooning over the fact that the man that I had been crushing on for years actually paid attention to me. It was messed up on so many levels. And I didn't know where to begin to make any of it right again.


	18. Chapter 18

BPOV

Chapter Eighteen

When I got home I saw that my cell phone was still alerting me to the missed messages from Edward. I was so tempted to listen, but I knew that was a bad idea. I would probably just end up calling him and trying to make things better if I heard him and I still didn't think that was a good idea. We needed our distance. Well I at least needed my distance from him.

I laid around for the rest of the day, sending quick texts to both Rose and Alice letting them know that I was okay. Alice told me that she was having a great time with Jasper and that she would try to swing by in the next few days to tell me all about the date. I was excited for my best friend. At least something good was happening for one of us.

I woke up the next day still feeling sorry for myself. I had some work for the boutique that I really needed to do, but instead I sat on my couch in my pajama shorts and oversized t-shirt, eating pizza and watching sappy romance movies. It was slightly pathetic, but I would give myself this one day before pulling myself together and figuring out my life.

Around six that evening there was a knock on my door. I figured it was Alice, so I ran to open the door for her. But instead of seeing my best friend, I saw the man that had made my weekend so miserable. Edward was standing at my door, looking perfect as ever, while I was standing in the same clothes that I had slept in the night before. This weekend couldn't have gotten any worse.

"Bella, can I please come in? I really think that we need to talk," Edward told me. I really should have told him to leave. It was a bad idea to let him in, but I was curious as to what he was going to say. So I opened the door and let him inside.

"How did you know where I live?" I asked him. Edward had never been to my apartment before. In fact, other than our coffee meetings over the past few months, we had never been alone anywhere together.

"Jessica and I had your address from the last Christmas card that you sent. It wasn't that hard to find. I'm sorry for just showing up. I tried calling, but you never answered or called me back."

I led him into the living room and sat down on the couch opposite of him.

"I didn't know what to say to you, Edward. I don't even know that there is anything for us to talk about."

"You know that there is, Bella. I've been seeing you every week, sometimes more than once a week. And then two nights ago, something happened between us. I think that if you hadn't ran it would have been something more than just a dance. And I'm not saying that it is right or okay, but I do think we should talk about this."

I was having an internal battle with myself. On one hand I was excited that Edward was admitting that there was something. And although that something hadn't actually been defined and may never be more than just a strong friendship, it was nice to know that I wasn't the only one having these feelings. But on the other hand all of this was just so wrong. He was married. Even worse, he was married to my sister.

"Edward, you have no idea how much I want to talk about everything with you. But I can't. We can't. It's wrong to even be having this conversation."

"Nothing about you feels wrong to me," he said, so quietly that I could barely hear him. I'm not even sure that he meant for me to hear him.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I finally couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask the one question that could change everything.

"Edward, are you and Jessica still together?"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N – I'm sorry for the slight delay in posting this, but I should be back to a regular posting schedule now. **

BPOV

Chapter Nineteen

_We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I finally couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask the one question that could change everything. _

_ "Edward, are you and Jessica still together?"_

I watched Edward's green eyes look into mine. I so desperately wanted him to tell me that he and Jessica weren't together. But I knew he wouldn't. They were married, living together in New York.

"Bella, it's not that simple."

"Yes, Edward, it is exactly that simple. You are married to my sister! That's all I need to know. We have nothing left to discuss."

Edward grabbed my hand and pleaded with me. "Please, just listen to me. There's so much that you don't know. My marriage – " he started to say, but I cut him off.

"Just stop. I really can't hear this from you right now. I need you to leave. Right now."

He stood up and headed to the door with a completely defeated look on his face. Before he walked out, though, he turned to me and said "I know you are upset right now, Bella, so I will leave you alone. But I can promise you that I won't be leaving you alone forever. There's still so much that you don't know and one day I will get you to hear me out. Until then just know that I am thinking of you."

I watched him walk out the door and then I called Alice. When she answered I said "It's over, Alice. You were right about me needing to leave Edward alone. I can't keep doing this to myself."

The next month was really hard. I so badly wanted to talk to Edward, but every time I started to pick up my phone, I stopped myself. He and I had nothing left to say to each other. And since I hadn't received any calls or texts from him, I assumed that he felt the same way.

About a week before Thanksgiving I got a phone call. I saw my sister's name flash across the screen and my heart started pounding. We rarely ever spoke to each other. I was scared of what she was going to tell me, so I didn't answer. When I listened to the voicemail all she said was for me to call her.

"What if she knows what happened? What if she wants to know about my feelings for Edward?" I asked Rose and Alice that night while we were eating dinner.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes. "Bella, hunny, I hate to tell you this, but nothing happened between you and Edward. Look, I know that night at the club was weird. I know that he almost kissed you and that things just seemed to get out of hand. But we were all drinking. And he didn't actually kiss you. And when he came to your house, the two of you didn't declare your love for each other. You're starting to blow all of this out of proportion."

"Don't say that, Rose," Alice told her. "I think that Bella has every right to be upset over what happened. Edward obviously was feeling something, too. But Bella, Rose is right about one thing. Nothing happened. You've got to just let this go. Call Jessica back. And get a grip on yourself. You may not be talking to Edward all the time, but he's not out of your life. If you're going to make it through this then you have got to pull yourself together."

They were right. I was being a complete drama queen and needed to stop. I made my decision concerning Edward and I was sticking with it. So I called Jessica back and sighed in relief when all she was calling about was to find out if I was going back to Washington to have Thanksgiving with the family. I told her that I was and when I hung up, I took a deep breath. I was going to act normal around Edward and stop acting like a child. Thanksgiving dinner would be nothing more than time spent with my family. And I would make sure that I once again got comfortable with having Edward as a brother-in-law and nothing more.


	20. Chapter 20

**Here's a quick update in EPOV**

**We will be back to Bella in the next chapter, posted later tonight.**

EPOV

Chapter Twenty

The month after my conversation with Bella at her house was terrible. I was mad, sad, frustrated, and completely unhappy with the mess that I had made of my life. I was pissed that Bella wouldn't even listen to what I had to say, even though I knew that she really didn't have any reason to listen to me. All Bella knew was that I was still married to her sister. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to talk to me. I knew deep down that Bella felt something for me, and I knew that she was fighting it. Of course she was because she thought that I was her sister's husband. It just confirmed for me that Bella really was a good person for not allowing anything inappropriate happen with her brother-in-law.

I knew that I probably could have made Bella listen to me, but it just felt wrong. As much as I wanted to tell Bella about the divorce, it felt like I would be completely betraying Jessica if I did. Jessica and I had made the decision together to wait to tell our families, and that included Bella. Since I already felt guilty for having these feelings for my sister-in-law while still technically married, I wasn't sure that completely breaking my word to Jessica by telling Bella the truth of my marriage was the right thing to do. I felt as though I was stuck between doing what was right and doing what I wanted. It was a tough situation to be in, and I couldn't wait for everything to be out in the open so that I didn't have to analyze these types of things on a daily basis.

Jessica and I were both still completely in agreement that the divorce was happening. We'd talked to lawyers and everything would be finalized a week or so after Thanksgiving. Being wealthy had its advantages that included lawyers who were willing to speed up the legal process. Jessica and I were still planning to tell our families our decision to divorce over Thanksgiving. We felt bad about potentially ruining the holidays, but we hoped that our families would understand that we were both happier with this decision than with the idea of staying together.

I knew that Bella was going to be at the Swan Thanksgiving dinner because Jessica had spoken with her shortly before we left for Washington. I was nervous about this because I didn't want to completely blind side Bella. However, I also knew that she was the one that hadn't wanted an explanation from me and I was trying to respect her wishes and stay away from her until the news of our divorce was out. Hopefully then she would be willing to speak with me.

Jessica and I arrived in Washington the day before Thanksgiving. We drove straight to the hotel and checked in to our separate rooms and then headed to my parents' house. We were going to sit down with them and tell them what was happening. My mom had planned for us to have dinner together that night, since she knew we would be at the Swans' house on Thanksgiving day.

Luckily my family took the news much better than I expected. My mom was understandably upset that Jessica and I were dealing with a divorce, but she was glad that it was a mutual decision and not leaving one of us hurt. She accepted that it was the best thing for us and she didn't press for more information than we were willing to give. She hugged me before we left and told me that she loved me, and I was grateful that my mother was there for me without overwhelming me with questions and comments on the decision. I just hoped that things went as smoothly with Jessica's family. I also hoped that Bella and I could possibly find some time to talk soon once she knew the truth about my marriage.


	21. Chapter 21

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-One

I thought that I was going to be nervous on Thanksgiving Day, knowing that I would be seeing Edward, but I wasn't. I had made the decision to treat Edward as I had before he moved to New York and we started hanging out, and that resolve was helping me get through the day much easier than I had anticipated. Sure my stomach had done a little flip when I saw him walk in with Jessica. He was still a gorgeous man. But I refused to acknowledge the feelings that were threatening to come back to the surface, and I greeted him just as I had greeted everyone else in my family.

If Edward was disappointed in my lack of attention to him, he didn't show it. He seemed very distant and lost in his own thoughts the entire day. He barely contributed to any conversation and just seemed off. It was strange to see Edward this way when I had only ever seen him act completely put together. Even that day at my apartment he seemed more in control than he did today.

I sat across from him and Jessica during dinner, with my mom and dad at each end of the table. It was hard for me to be able to look up and see him, so I spent most of dinner just listening to my parents talk. Even Jessica didn't seem to have a whole lot to say, which was unusual for my usually talkative sister.

Once dinner was over I saw Jessica look at Edward and he nodded at her. Then she said "Mom, dad, Bella, there's something that Edward and I need to tell you."

My mind was going a mile a minute. Edward and Jessica had news? Were they moving back to Los Angeles? Was something happening with Edward's job? Oh God, was Jessica pregnant?

The second I thought that Jessica could be pregnant, I felt ill. Realistically I knew that Edward and Jessica had sex. They were married. But I didn't want to think about it. And now they were about to tell me that she was pregnant and I was going to have to see the proof of their love for the rest of my life. I couldn't bear to hear that news come out of either of their mouths.

I jumped up before Jessica could say anything else. Four pairs of eyes turned my way, all curious as to what I was doing.

"Umm.. we have dessert! In the kitchen there's dessert and we haven't eaten it yet, so I thought we should eat dessert. Now. I was just going to get dessert."

I sounded like a complete idiot, but after the shock of knowing that Edward was going to have a kid with my sister, I didn't feel like I could even make my brain function completely. I was mortified that my entire family was staring at me, and I knew that Edward had to know that my strange behavior had something to do with him.

I turned to walk into the kitchen when my dad's voice stopped me. "Bella, sit down right now. Your sister has something to talk to us about and dessert can wait," he said to me in his no-nonsense voice that he used when he meant business. I didn't have a choice. I had to sit down and listen to the words that would completely break me. I had no idea how I was going to get through this.

After I was back in my chair, Jessica cleared her throat. "Well," she began, "you all know that Edward and I have been married for a few years now. And it's no secret that we moved to New York for Edward's career. These past few months in New York have made us seriously think about what we want, and unfortunately what we want are two different things. So Edward and I have decided to get a divorce. We are getting a divorce. It will be finalized in a week."

Wait, what?!


	22. Chapter 22

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Two

"You're not pregnant?" I asked, before anyone had a chance to say anything to them. Edward and Jessica both looked at me shocked before Jessica started shaking her head.

"Of course I'm not pregnant, Bella. What the hell kind of question is that?" Jessica demanded. My mom shot me a look that said I really needed to shut up before she went over to Jessica and pulled her into a hug. My dad stood up and walked over to the cabinet where he kept his whiskey and pulled out a couple of glasses and a bottle of Jameson.

I could feel Edward staring at me, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I didn't know what I should say. I was happy and disappointed and embarrassed and a whole lot of other emotions that I couldn't really place. I felt awful. I couldn't believe that I was actually happy over the end of my sister's marriage, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't.

I was also so embarrassed that I couldn't look at Edward. Was this what he was going to tell me at my house the other month? Was that why he was flirting with me at the bar? He would have known then that he was getting divorced. He wasn't just being a jerk and flirting with his wife's kid sister. I mean, yea, she is still technically his wife, but Jessica had made it sound like this was something that they had decided quite a while ago.

I had so many questions, but I didn't know where to begin. Most of my questions were for Edward, but there was no way that I could ask them in front of the rest of my family. My dad had brought over a shot of whiskey to Edward and they were just sitting at the table sipping on the alcohol. My mom was still next to Jessica, talking to her about what had happened. I needed to get out of there. This was all just too much for me.

I stood up really fast and told Jessica "I'm sorry about the divorce, Jess. Let me know if you need anything." I then turned around and ran up the stairs to my bedroom, where I shut and locked the door before laying across my bed. I wasn't sure what I should do. Realistically I knew that the right thing for me to do would be to talk to my sister and make sure she was okay, but I didn't know what to say to her. She and I weren't close at all and I didn't even know where to begin that discussion with her. I was hoping that I could just go to sleep and then tomorrow morning I would wake up and have a better idea of what I should do not only for my sister, but for myself.

I crawled in the bed and laid there for what seemed like hours trying to sleep. I was staring at the clock, which was telling me that it was shortly after 2 in the morning, when I heard my phone go off, alerting me to a text. I rolled over to grab it and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was from Edward. I quickly opened the text.

**I miss you, Bella. –E**

I couldn't help but smile at the text. Even though everything was still a mess, I knew that I still cared for Edward far more than I ever intended and it wasn't likely to change. And he missed me. And in another week he was going to be a single man. I just needed to figure out exactly what I wanted to say to him.


	23. Chapter 23

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Three

The next day Jessica came back to mom and dad's house for lunch, without Edward. Apparently he was spending time with his parents before heading back to New York. Jessica told us that she was not even going back to New York, but instead was heading back to Los Angeles. I wasn't really surprised. I knew that Jessica loved it there.

After lunch I was in my room trying to pack up the few things that I had brought with me. I was taking the red eye out of Seattle that night back to New York. I was just finishing folding some of my shirts when Jessica knocked on my bedroom door.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

I nodded at her and sat on the bed. She came and sat beside me and said "I'm glad that I got to see you over the past couple of days, Bella. I know that we haven't really talked much lately, but it's good to know that things are going well for you."

"Yea, it was great, Jess. Are you okay, though? About what's happening and going back to Los Angeles?"

She smiled. "I'm more than okay! Edward and I are both really happy with this decision. Things change and people drift apart sometimes. I loved Edward and truthfully I do still care for him. But we just aren't meant to be together forever. We want very different things in life."

I was glad to hear that Jessica wasn't torn up about the divorce, and not just because of my feelings for Edward. I didn't want my sister to be hurting and it sounded like she was going to be just fine. And from what I had seen of Edward during our time together, I could see where he and Jessica wouldn't be very compatible. Jess was all about the glitz and the glamour where Edward was much more down to earth. I'm shocked that they didn't figure that out before they ever got married.

Jessica left a little while after that to go and see a few friends of hers from college. I spent a little more time with my parents before having to catch my flight to New York. Because it was the red eye and the day after Thanksgiving, the flight wasn't very full and I was able to sit by myself without someone next to me. I was glad for that because I really just wanted to sleep. I closed my eyes right after take-off and didn't wake back up until we were landing in New York.

I spent the rest of the weekend and the next week making sure that everything was ready to go for the next year at the boutique. We had done extremely well over the past few months for a new company and Alice was looking forward to the new ideas that she had for the upcoming year.

I got a text from Jessica the week after Thanksgiving. It was a picture of her with a drink in her hand. I noticed that she no longer had on her wedding ring and the caption below the picture said "My celebratory drink.. I'm officially single!" I was happy for her because she seemed happy. I was also glad that she had texted me something about her life because it really had been a long time since we had really had any kind of relationship.

That was the current dilemma that I was in. I still had such strong feelings for Edward, feelings that had never fully gone away from the first time that I saw him. I knew that it would be hard for me to ever be with another guy because that guy would constantly be compared to Edward. But at the same time I didn't know what would happen if I told Edward the truth. Would he feel the same way? Would he still see me as just Jessica's little sister or as just a friend? Could we even make something work considering he had been married to my sister? And on top of that I didn't know how Jessica would feel if she did ever find out about my feelings for her now ex-husband. I knew that she didn't love him like that anymore, but would she care if I did? It was all so confusing, but I knew one thing. The only way that I would ever work this out would be if I talked to Edward. Even if I got burned in the process I needed him to know the truth.


	24. Chapter 24

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Four

After I got Jessica's text about the divorce being final, I debated on the best way to contact Edward. I knew that Jessica was in Los Angeles and that he was still in their home in New York. Should I just show up there and talk to him? Should I just send him a text letting him know that I wanted to meet him? I was worried that if I texted him he might not respond to me. I knew that there was.. something.. between us, but I wasn't sure what and I had basically been ignoring him. I needed to talk to him and I needed to make sure that he was willing to listen.

I finally decided to go to his office and ask him if he wanted to get lunch with me. I knew from the many times of us getting coffee together that he often took his breaks around 10 in the morning. My plan was to go to his office and surprise him with a cup of his favor coffee, and then ask him to meet me later that day to talk.

My biggest dilemma, however, was what to wear. I knew that I had it bad when I was actually worried about what would be the best outfit to wear to see Edward. I rarely gave my clothes that much thought, but I was suddenly nervous about everything. That's what led to me standing in the boutique the morning that I finally decided to see Edward, and let Alice play Barbie with me.

"Bella," Alice said, exasperated after I turned down yet another outfit that she had made me try on. "You have to pick something. I am putting you in my best-selling clothes and you just keep shaking your head no. I'm not sure what else to give you to try!"

"I know, Alice, and I'm sorry for being difficult. I'm not trying to be. I want to look good when I see Edward, but all of these clothes just aren't me. You know how I typically dress. I like jeans and comfy tops. He's going to know that I purposely dressed for him if I show up in a tiny little dress and heels."

"I thought that you wanted him to know you were dressing up for him?" She asked me.

I sighed. I was being difficult and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself. I was just so nervous about what was going to happen. I was a mess.

"I want him to notice the effort, but not for it to be really drastic. Does that even make sense?"

Alice nodded and then clapped her hands together. "I've got it!" She exclaimed as she ran to the back room. I could hear her looking for something in there before she ran back to the dressing room that I had been using to try on clothes. I tried on the outfit that she handed me and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was perfect.

Alice had given me a pair of jeans, but they were very cute and very tight. I was still slightly dressed down in them, but they showed off my figure much better than any of the jeans that I usually wore. She had also brought me a plain green tank top, but it was perfect. The green was the same shade as Edward's eyes and it made me smile to look at it. I slipped on a pair of black ballet flats, and I was ready to go.

"Wish me luck, Alice!" I yelled to her as I walked out the door and headed towards his office. I was determined to take control of my life starting right then, and that meant finally telling everything to Edward Cullen.

**Next up, Bella surprises Edward with a visit!**


	25. Chapter 25

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Five

When I got to Edward's office, I realized that I had not thought this plan through thoroughly. He had a secretary, of course, and she was not pleased to have an unexpected person pop in and ask to see Edward.

"Ms. Swan, I am sorry but Mr. Cullen is a busy man. You cannot just walk in here without an appointment and see him. The business world does not work that way," Heidi, the secretary, told me.

I was getting very flustered. I had never been to Edward's office, so I didn't know what to expect. In my mind I had envisioned walking in and him seeing me, letting me in, and us talking. It never even entered my mind that he would have a secretary that I would have to speak with. The minute I walked in and saw the beautiful woman behind the desk in the foyer I realized that I had not quite thought this entire plan through. She was not even remotely interested in letting Edward know that an unexpected visitor was here to see him.

"I understand that Mr. Cullen is busy and that I do not have an appointment, but I'm family. Will you please just let him know that I am here and ask him if he will see me?"

She sighed. "I will send him a message that you stopped by, but I can't interrupt him at the moment. Next time you should call beforehand."

It took all I had not to scream at her that I didn't call beforehand because this was supposed to be a surprise visit. Instead I just quietly thanked her and turned to leave, feeling defeated and unsure of what I should do next. However, as I was walking towards the door, I heard the one voice that always sent shivers through my body. Edward.

"Bella," he said. "What are you doing? Are you leaving?"

I turned around and smiled the minute I saw him. He was so handsome, and the puzzled look on his face was too adorable. I had missed this man so much and it wasn't until he was standing right there in front of me that I realized just how much I wanted him in my life.

"I came to see you, but I didn't have an appointment. Heidi did not want to interrupt you, so I just asked that she leave you a message that I stopped by," I told him.

He smiled and motioned for me to follow him. "Come on back to my office, Bella. And Heidi, if Ms. Swan here ever stops by, let me know immediately. She does not need an appointment."

My heart swelled at his words. I peeked a quick glance at Heidi and saw her go red at Edward's words. She was not pleased at what he said, but I was. Knowing that I was welcome here gave me the boost of confidence that I needed. I was filled with more courage than I knew I had, and instead of questioning it, I used it. The minute we walked into Edward's office and he shut the door, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his.


	26. Chapter 26

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Six

It only took Edward a second to get over the surprise of the kiss before his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer to him. The feeling of being this close to him was amazing. I ran my fingers through his hair and licked his bottom lip with my tongue. He opened his mouth and the taste of him had me moaning. It took all I had to pull my mouth away from him, but I knew that we still needed to talk regardless of how much I wanted to rip his clothes off right then.

I placed one last chaste kiss against his mouth before I opened my eyes to look at him. He had a smile on his face as he rubbed his hands across my back. He looked so gorgeous and I couldn't believe that I had actually kissed him. I had practically attacked him in his office, but it was obvious that he hadn't minded. I couldn't help but giggle. That kiss wasn't at all what I had intended to do, but I just hadn't been able to stop myself once I saw him.

"What's so funny, Ms. Swan?" Edward asked me with a smirk on his face.

"Oh nothing much, Mr. Cullen. I'm just surprised about what just happened."

He raised an eyebrow at me and said "Not that I'm complaining, but you were the one that kissed me. I think I should be the surprised person here."

I giggled again and laid my head on his chest. I could feel his heart beating and he brought one of his hands up to run through my hair. I didn't want to let him go, but I knew that I had to get some distance so that I could think straight. I placed a soft kiss on his shirt over his heart, and then moved away from him so that we could talk.

"Edward, I came here because there is so much that I need to tell you and so many things that I think we should talk about. I know I'm just Jessica's little sister to you, but you mean so much more than that to me."

Edward grabbed my hands and led me over to the couch that was in his office so that we could sit down.

"There is so much more that I see when I look at you other than just Jessica's little sister. When I see you I don't even think about Jessica. All I can think about is the smart, beautiful, successful woman in front of me. You are all that I can think about, Bella," Edward said to me and it made my heart swell. He had no idea what his words were doing to me.

I needed to tell him everything. So I did. I told him about the crush that I had on him for years and about how disappointed I was when he told me he was going to marry Jessica. I told him how I fought my feelings for him and buried them so that I didn't keep longing for the man my sister was marrying him. I told him about Jacob and how I could never fully give myself to him because of my feelings that I kept trying to hide. And then I told him about the months since he moved to New York and how happy I had been getting to know him and just being around him.

"Edward, I kept telling myself that I only thought of you as a friend, but I was lying. I was lying to myself, I was lying to my friends, and I was lying to you. It was always so much more than that, but I didn't know what to do because of my sister. I thought you were happily married. I freaked out that night at the club because I thought that I saw some of the same feelings that I had in your own eyes and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to be that girl that breaks up a marriage, especially not my own sister's. And then at Thanksgiving when I found out the truth, I was shocked. I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you then, but I was so confused about everything."

Edward didn't say anything and I could tell by the look on his face that he was absorbing all of the information that I had just given him. He kept my hands in his, but his silence was killing me. I knew that I had just dropped a lot on him in a short period of time, but there was just one thing that I had to know. So I asked him.

"Can we do this, Edward? Is there any chance for us?"

**Next up is Edward's response to Bella.. it will be in EPOV!**


	27. Chapter 27

EPOV

Chapter Twenty-Seven

_"Can we do this, Edward? Is there any chance for us?"_

I could hardly believe that the woman I had been fantasizing about for the past six months was standing in front of me, asking if there was a chance for us. She obviously had no idea just what she meant to me if she had to even ask that question.

I ran my fingers down her arm and grabbed her hand that was in her lap. I brought her palm up to my mouth where I gave her a soft kiss before saying "There's nothing more that I want than to try and make this work with you, Bella."

She smiled at me and threw her arms around me, burying her head in my neck. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Bella. For so long now I had wanted this, to be able to just hold her in my arms. It seemed like a dream that it was finally happening.

After a few minutes she pulled away and moved back to her side of the couch. She was so beautiful and all I really wanted to do at that moment was have my way with her. So many times I had fantasized about having her in my office, on this very couch, and those thoughts were making it difficult for me not to ravage her right then and there. But I could tell that there was still something on her mind.

"Talk to me, Bella," I told her.

"I'm just worried about my sister. I still don't really understand what happened between you two and I guess that I'm just worried that I'm a rebound for you. I don't think I could take it if in a few months you realized that you didn't actually want me."

I gently grabbed her face and made her look at me. I could see the worry on her face, and I hated that it was there because she still wasn't entirely sure of my feelings for her. I vowed that I would spend every single day making her understand just how I felt about her.

"Baby, I promise you aren't a rebound. Even though Jessica and I just got divorced, our marriage has been over for a long time. Even before we moved here it was over. We stayed together for a while because it was convenient and because we were trying to make sure all the details of our life were straightened out before finalizing the divorce. But it's been a long time since I felt anything for Jessica."

I was trying to let Bella process everything that I was telling her, but I wasn't done. She had poured her heart out to me, and I was going to do the same thing for her.

"When I saw you again after we moved here, I didn't realize that I had feelings for you. I don't know that I did really, other than just caring for you as a family member. But after just a few times of being around you, I was a goner. You were what I had always wanted, I just didn't know it. I fell hard for you, Bella, and I didn't know if I would ever have a chance with you. It was killing me to know that you might never return those feelings. When you walked in here today and kissed me, you made me the happiest man on this earth. I need you to know that."

Before I could say anything else, Bella moved so that she was straddling me on the couch. I placed my hands on her hips and she looked down at me, with a sexy smile playing on her lips.

"Mr. Cullen," she said, "You have no idea what hearing that does to me. I plan on doing much more than just kissing you in this office."

**I know, another cliffhanger! But the next chapter will be worth it.. the story will finally earn its "M" rating. I will post the next chapter later tonight! **


	28. Chapter 28

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The look on Edward's face as I straddled him on the leather couch in his office was priceless. He obviously hadn't expected this, but I didn't care. I had spent years fantasizing about this man and I was going to make my fantasies come true, starting right now.

"I want you, Edward," I whispered in his ear, before gently biting down on his earlobe. His hands tightened on my waist and his breathing got heavier. I placed hot kisses across his jaw until I reached his lips. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging so that he would open his mouth for me. The second his tongue met mine, he flipped me so that I was lying on the couch and he was on top of me. I could feel him hard against my thigh, even through our clothes, and my hips immediately bucked underneath him, wanting more.

"Many times I fantasized about fucking you on my desk, Bella. We will save that for another time, though. Right now I am going to fuck you on this couch."

Edward talking like that was quite possibly the hottest thing that I had ever heard. I was so turned on that I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. So instead of answering, I just pulled his polo out of his khakis and over his head. When it was finally off, I ran my hands over the smooth planes of his chest and abs. Edward definitely worked out.

He slipped his hands down my side and grabbed the bottom of my shirt. "As much as I love this color on you, this shirt has to go," he said before pulling it off. He then quickly undid my jeans and slid them down my legs. I was lying before him in nothing but my bra and panties, and if the look in his eyes was any indication, he definitely liked what he saw.

"You're so beautiful, Bella," he said, placing kisses across the exposed skin of my chest and stomach. I couldn't take it anymore. The foreplay was nice, but I really just wanted to feel Edward.

I reached down and brought his face back up to mine, kissing him hard as I brought my hands down to his pants. I quickly undid them and he stood up, taking both his pants and his boxers off at the same time. He was naked in front of me and he looked perfect. He was even better than I had imagined.

Edward raised me up so that he could unhook my bra, letting it fall to the floor. He then hooked his fingers in my panties and slid them down my legs. We were both naked and panting and I couldn't wait any longer. I reached out and wrapped my hand around his hard cock, and he inhaled sharply, closing his eyes.

"I'm on the pill and I'm clean," I told him and he nodded. "I'm clean, too," he replied. "I have a condom here, but I really just want to feel you."

I groaned at his words, imagining how great he would feel sliding inside me. Thank god I was about to find out. Edward laid back on top of me, positioning himself at my entrance. He locked eyes with me and I slid my hands around to grip his firm ass, pushing him towards me. It was all the encouragement he needed. He slid inside me, and it felt even more amazing than I ever imagined.

"Fuck, Edward, please more. Harder, faster."

Edward groaned and then gave me what I asked for. He pounded into me. I just babbled at him, telling him how good it felt, how he was about to make me cum.

"Cum, Bella," Edward demanded and I did. The command mixed with his hard dick thrusting in and out of me toppled me over the edge, and Edward quickly followed. He came, saying my name over and over. He collapsed on top and placed kisses all across my collar and shoulders. After a few minutes he finally raised his head and looked at me, that sexy smirk once again on his face.

"Now this is what I call a good office visit," he said and I laughed. There was no awkwardness; no wondering if what we did was right or wrong. It was just perfect.


	29. Chapter 29

BPOV

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I left Edward's office a few minutes later, after we agreed to get together sometime this week for our first "official" date. Heidi was still sitting at her desk and she glared at me as I walked past her desk and I smirked at her. I knew that she had been able to hear at least part of what happened in his office, and instead of embarrassing me, it made me feel like I had marked my territory. I never knew that I had such a possessive streak.

I swung back by the boutique to talk to Alice, but the store was swamped. She was busy helping different customers, so I just nodded and smiled at her to let her know that everything went well, and then I left. I really needed to go home and work, but I was too excited about what had happened to be able to concentrate. So instead I called Rose and asked her to meet me for lunch.

When we were both seated at the café, I told her everything. I started with trying to decide what to wear before going to see Edward and ended with triumphantly walking past Heidi after finally having sex with Edward. Rose just smiled and listened through the whole thing, only interrupting me once to ask if Edward was able to satisfy me. I just blushed and told her that I was beyond satisfied.

"I must say that I am quite proud of you, Bella," Rose said. "Having sex in your man's office during the workday? That's not something I ever thought that you would do, but good for you!"

"It wasn't at all what I had intended, Rose. I honestly went there just to talk to him, but he is just so damn good looking. I couldn't control myself. I've been lusting after him for years, there was no way I was waiting any longer."

She just laughed at me and we finished eating our lunch. When I left the restaurant and headed home, I saw that I had a text message from Edward. I opened it and smiled at what he wrote to me.

**I'm glad you stopped by today and we were able to talk, among other things ;) Let me take you to dinner tomorrow night. – E**

** The "other things" were pretty fantastic.. And I would love to go to dinner with you tomorrow night! – B**

I sent that text and then giggled to myself. I was so happy with the way that things were finally working out for me. I was going on a date with Edward!


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N – I have no excuses except for a busy life. However, I am doing what I can to balance RL with this fic, as well as Masquerade. This is a short chapter, but I'm going to try and start posting daily again. I also plan to have a new chapter of Masquerade up before the end of the week.**

**Thank you to everyone that is still around and willing to read this fic!**

BPOV

Chapter Thirty

Dinner with Edward was fantastic. I'd been out with Edward alone before, all those days that we would have coffee together. But it never meant anything, not to him. Not until now. Tonight, however, it was different. He and I were different. And I was happier than I had ever been.

We were sharing dessert and I was slightly drunk. I was drunk off the champagne that he had ordered, and I was drunk off of him. He kept scooping chocolate onto a spoon and slipping that spoon into my mouth.

"You have chocolate on the corner of your mouth," he said to me, his voice husky as he stared at my lips, my mouth.

I leaned forward and whispered "Lick it off of me, Edward."

That was all the encouragement that he needed. He grabbed the back of my neck and licked the side of my lips. Then he licked the other side. Finally he licked across my bottom lip, which caused me to open my mouth to his. I flicked his tongue with mine and he groaned into my mouth. He tasted like chocolate and champagne and just pure Edward, and I was a goner. I needed him.

I was so caught up in Edward that I forgot where we were, until he gently pulled back from me.  
His eyes were hooded with lust, but he cleared his throat and said "I want you, Bella. We need to get out of here before I forget where I am and fuck you in a restaurant full of people."

Holy shit! My panties were officially wet and I couldn't think straight. Edward threw some money on the table and helped me out of my seat. Both of his arms were wrapped around me, helping me to walk as well as grabbing my ass, staking his claim on me.

"Come home with me, Bella. Stay with me tonight."

Of course I said yes.


	31. Chapter 31

EPOV

Chapter Thirty-One

The minute I got Bella into my house, I pushed her back against the wall and began kissing her. She looked so fucking hot tonight and I couldn't wait any longer to have her.

I kissed down her neck as she wrapped her arms around me, tugging and pulling on my hair. I gently bit down on her neck and she bucked her hips against me, asking for more. I grinned as I slid my hand up her skirt, already feeling how wet her panties were. It seemed that my Bella liked it rough, and I was going to give her exactly what she wanted.

I pulled the zipper down and the dress she was wearing fell down at her feet. She stepped out of it, kicking it away from us, and was left standing in front of me wearing nothing but a lacy pair of panties and heels.

"You didn't wear a bra tonight, naughty girl," I whispered in her ear as I played with her gorgeous tits. They fit perfectly in my hand and the more I tugged on her nipples the more she moaned for me. Her moans were quickly becoming my favorite sound in the world.

"I didn't see the point when I was hoping the night would end exactly like this," she replied with a devilish grin. I kissed her mouth again, hot and hard. I finally pulled away and she was left panting in front of me, with lust filled eyes and slightly swollen lips. She was beautiful and I was about to take what was mine.

I dropped to my knees in front of her, and my face was even with her panty covered pussy. I wanted to taste her, so I slowly slid her panties down her leg. She reached down to take off her heels, but I grabbed her legs and held them in place. I looked up at her and said "I'm going to taste you and then fuck you while you wear nothing but these."

Her hips jerked at my words, bringing her pussy even closer to my face. I grabbed one of her legs and threw it over my shoulder, giving me leverage before I finally reached my tongue out to taste her. And fuck, she tasted so damn good. I licked her and teased her clit as she moaned and grinded her hips to my face. She was enjoying this and I had every intention of making her cum on my tongue. I slid a finger in her while I licked her clit and that was all it took. She pushed her hands into my hair and let out a slew of curse words as she came and I couldn't help but smirk. I loved that I had done that to her.

I kissed my way back up her body and to her lips, thrusting my tongue in her mouth. I wanted her to taste herself on me, so she would know how good she tasted to me.

I was still completely dressed with a very naked Bella in front of me, and that needed to change. I let go of her just long enough to undo my belt and unzip my pants before Bella's hands were reaching down and grabbing my cock. The feel of her hands on me was amazing, and I needed to be inside her.

I picked Bella up, wrapping her legs around my waist, and brought her into the living room. I gently put her down and turned her around so that her back was to me and she was leaning over the back of my couch. Her ass looked perfect this way and I knew this was going to feel amazing. I ran my hands down her back and grabbed onto her hips before pushing my cock into her. She threw her head back at the contact, and I slowly slid back out. The sight of her ass in the air and me sliding in and out of her was one of the most amazing things that I had ever seen. It was perfect.

I was teasing her, pushing in slowly and then coming almost all the way out, going torturously slow, but I wasn't ready for this to end. I was barely holding on to any control that I had left, and that snapped the minute she looked over her shoulder at me and said "Fuck me harder, Edward."

I slammed into her then, setting a fast and hard pace. She screamed out my name over and over again, and I kept thrusting. My hands were everywhere, pulling her hair, squeezing her tits, raking down her back. I was determined to leave a mark on her. I knew she was enjoying it, and it wasn't long before I felt her pussy clamp down on my cock as she came. It didn't take long for me to join her, slamming back into her one last time before I came inside her. She went limp underneath me, and I managed to grab her and pull her down into my lap as I slid to the floor. She wrapped her arms around me and gave my chest one sweet kiss before laying her head against me. Having Bella in my arms like this made me feel happier than I had been in a very long time.


	32. Chapter 32

BPOV

Chapter Thirty-Two

I woke up the next morning in Edward's bed, with his arms wrapped around me. I couldn't help but smile to myself because I was so happy. I was finally with the man that I had always wanted. He was smart, handsome, and fun to be around. He was also very talented in the bedroom, which was proven by how many times he had made me cum last night. Another three times after we finally left the living room and made it to his bedroom.

I looked over at Edward and was once again amazed at how lucky I was to have him for myself. I rolled over and placed light kisses across his chest, happy to be waking up next to him. I felt his arms tighten around me, and then he dropped a sleepy kiss on my forehead.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said to me. "Did you sleep well?"

I nodded and leaned back so that I could look at him. Even with sleepy eyes he was easily the most handsome man that I had ever seen.

We lay there a few more minutes and cuddled before he told me that he needed to get up and go to the office for a few hours. I pouted just a little because I wanted to spend the day with him, but he just kissed the pout off of my face, promising to see me later that night. I grinned at him and then admired his body as he got out of bed and walked naked into the bathroom.

The rest of the week was perfect. Edward and I both worked during the day, though we did manage to meet for coffee twice. We stayed with each other every night. It was what I had always dreamed of, but there was still the problem of my sister and our families. We couldn't keep pushing that to the side and not talking about it. The Christmas holidays were coming up and we needed to decide what to do while we were in Forks.

A week or so after our first date, I finally brought the subject up with Edward. We were at his house and I was looking through his bookshelf for something to read. When I moved some books around a picture fell to the floor. It was an old wedding photo of him and Jessica. I wasn't upset about the photo, but it made me realize that we couldn't just keep ignoring the situation that we were in.

I walked back to Edward's bedroom where he was changing and sat on the bed, still holding the picture. I didn't know how to bring the subject up with Edward because we still hadn't clarified what we were even doing. I was hoping that we were on our way to a very serious relationship, but for all I knew this was just a fun fling for Edward. It didn't seem that way, but I had to know.

"Edward, I think that we need to talk about things. About us."

The seriousness of my tone caught his attention and he turned around to look at me. He noticed the picture in my mind and he sighed. He came and sat next to me, taking the picture from my hands.

"I didn't even know this was still in the house," he told me. I didn't want him to feel bad for his past, so I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled at him.

"I'm not upset about the photo. Jessica was a huge part of your life. But that's what we really need to talk about. We are both going back to Forks in a couple of weeks and Jessica is going to be there. I don't want to assume anything just because of this past week, but I also don't want to be surprised. I guess I just really want to know where we stand."

Edward cupped my face in his hands and looked at me, his green eyes blazing.

"Bella, I was waiting for you before I even knew what I really wanted. You were right there and it took a long time for me to even realize it. Now that I know what it's like to have you, I'm not letting you go. The only surprise I want there to be when we go to Forks is the surprise that my parents are going to get when I bring you to their house to introduce you as my girlfriend. I'm just hoping that that's okay with you."

I smiled at his words and said "That's what I've always wanted to hear you say."


	33. Chapter 33

EPOV

Chapter Thirty-three

After Bella and I talked and she finally understood that I was serious about her, about us, things got even better than they already were. I had already been happy with Bella, but knowing that we were on the same page and that she understood what she meant to me made our relationship grow. I was quickly becoming closer to her than anyone else in my life. I was able to talk with Bella about things that I had never been able to talk with Jessica about and it was so easy to just be with her. I don't know when it happened, but at some point I had fallen in love with Isabella Swan.

I wanted to tell her how I felt, but I was scared. Even though she seemed like she was perfectly fine with the fact that I had been married to her sister, I still knew that it was an issue that we would have to deal with and work through. Realistically Bella knew that Jessica and I had been married, but she had never really been around us together much. However, she was now going to have to figure out a way to tell her sister that she was dating her ex-husband. I knew that Jessica didn't still love me and that she was over our marriage. She had texted me after the divorce to let me know that she was going on a date. I was happy for her and I knew that she would be happy that I was dating someone. But I just wasn't sure that she would be happy once she found out that that someone was her little sister.

It was now two days before Christmas and Bella and I were on a plane heading to Forks. We knew that it was risky taking our flight together, but neither of us was willing to spend the time apart, especially since we knew that we wouldn't be spending as much time together as we had gotten used to once we were back in Washington. We were landing in Seattle and renting a car together that we would take straight to my parents' house. While there we were planning on telling my parents about our relationship. Bella was then going to take the car to her parents' house and talk to her mom and dad. Jessica would be getting in town the next day and we had decided to talk to her together.

I heard Bella mumble my name and I looked over at where she was sleeping next to me on the plane. I couldn't help but smile at the peaceful look on her face, knowing that she was dreaming about me. She had her hands wrapped around one of mine, even in her sleep. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, not wanting to wake her. She had been working almost non-stop the last couple of weeks so that she could make this trip back to Forks. I knew that she was exhausted, but I had every intention of taking care of that. She didn't know it yet, but I had rented a hotel in Seattle for the weekend after Christmas so that we could spend some time together, just the two of us. I was going to tell her then that I loved her. And then, even though neither of us had ever talked about it, I was going to figure out a way to convince her that she needed to marry me.


	34. Chapter 34

BPOV

Chapter Thirty-four

The ride from Seattle to Forks was quiet. Edward and I were both lost in our own thoughts, thinking about what we were about to do. He had told me before that he thought his parents would take the news well. He had already mentioned to his dad that he had started dating and his dad had been happy for him, so he was hoping that once the shock wore off of exactly who he was dating that they would be happy. I hoped so, too. I had, of course, met Dr. and Mrs. Cullen before and they were very nice people. I really wanted my boyfriend's parents to like me.

I was going to tell my parents tonight, alone, and hope that they understood. My parents were great and had never showed any type of favoritism between Jessica and myself. I was closer to our dad and she was closer to our mom, but that had more to do with personality rather than who they liked more. I had always felt as equally loved as my sister, but I wasn't sure how my parents would react to me being serious with my sister's ex-husband.

I was sure that Jessica would pitch a fit. As much as I love my sister, she was definitely a drama queen and always wanted to be the center of attention. I had a feeling that finding out I was now with Edward would not go over well with Jessica. I just hoped that once she got past the initial shock she would realize that it wasn't about her and that since she didn't have feelings for Edward anymore then it shouldn't matter if we were dating.

As we pulled into the driveway to the Cullen house, my heart started beating faster. Edward, of course, knew just how to calm me down. As soon as he had the car in park he turned toward me and placed soft kisses across my face, moving down to my neck. One hand was caressing my face while the other curled into the back of my sweater, bringing me closer to him. It was taking all I had not to crawl into his lap and show him what his kisses were doing to me, but I figured it wouldn't be the best idea for his parents to find out I was his girlfriend by catching us making out in his car like two horny teenagers.

"My parents will love you, Bella," he said, trying to ease the worry that I know he saw on my face. "I promise, it will be fine. I will be by your side the entire time."

I nodded and gave him a quick kiss on his lips before getting out of the car. Just as Edward was grabbing his bag from the backseat, the front door of the house opened and his mom and dad walked out to greet him.

"Edward!" His mom exclaimed, rushing to give him hug. "I'm so glad that you are finally here. Your father and I have missed you."

It was then that she noticed me, and I saw the surprise on her face before she smiled at me.

"Bella, what a nice surprise. Did you and Edward end up on the same flight together from New York?"

I glanced at Edward, unsure of what to say, but he solved that problem for me. In two quick strides he was standing at my side, wrapping his arm around me.

"Mom, dad, Bella and I came back to Forks together. We have been dating the past month. I wanted to introduce her to you both, as my girlfriend."

**A/N – sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I will update tomorrow with Esme and Carlisle's response to Edward and Bella's relationship!**


	35. Chapter 35

BPOV

Chapter Thirty-five

"_Mom, dad, Bella and I came back to Forks together. We have been dating the past month. I wanted to introduce her to you both, as my girlfriend."_

I don't think that I had ever seen Mrs. Cullen at a loss for words, but it was obvious that she didn't know how to react to Edward's announcement. Luckily Dr. Cullen recovered fast and came down to greet me.

"Bella, it's great to see you again. Why don't the two of you come inside so that you can catch us up on how this happened."

Edward grabbed my hand and we followed his parents inside. As we settled in the living room I saw his mom walk into the kitchen. A few minutes later she came out with a tray of tea and some light snacks.

She smiled at me as she sat the tray down and said "I'm sorry about earlier, Bella, I was just a little caught off guard. Carlisle had told me that Edward started dating, but I don't think that either of us realized it was serious. And, of course, my darling son didn't think to mention that we knew the lucky girl."

"I'm the lucky one, mom," Edward said in response. "Bella is absolutely amazing. I didn't want to tell you guys over the phone, so we decided to wait until we were here in person to tell you and Bella's family about our relationship."

I gave Edward's hand a gentle squeeze to let him know how much I appreciated what he was saying. I was still nervous, but at least his parents were being nice.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen," I said, "I can understand that this is a bit of a shock considering that Edward did just divorce my sister. But I can promise you that I care a lot about your son. I just want to make him happy."

It was Edward's dad that finally got around to the main issue. "I'm not trying to overstep my bounds here, but I have to ask, Edward. Is Bella the reason for your divorce?"

I felt my cheeks flame red in embarrassment at Dr. Cullen's insinuation, but luckily Edward answered. "No, dad, Bella is not the reason for my divorce. Jessica and I grew apart years ago. And I know what you are really trying to ask, so I will just tell you straight out. Bella and I did not start dating or even talk about dating until after my divorce was final. I know that me dating my ex-wife's younger sister so soon after my divorce is going to cause some speculation, but I need you both to believe me and to believe Bella."

"We believe you, Edward," his mom said and then she turned to me. "Bella, please know that we support you and Edward. You are a wonderful girl and I can't remember the last time I saw my son look as happy as he does when he looks at you. And please, dear, call us Esme and Carlisle. I think we are beyond the formalities at this point."

I smiled at Esme, relief rushing through me. I was so glad that things went well with Edward's parents, and I just hoped that they would go as well with my own.

We spent the next couple of hours talking with Esme and Carlisle and having lunch. They wanted to know more about my life, so I told them about graduating college and starting the boutique with Alice. I could tell that they were impressed with what I had done, and I was so happy to have the approval of my boyfriend's parents.

After lunch I had a text from my mom asking when I would be at their house, so I knew that I needed to leave and go talk to my parents. I told Esme and Carlisle goodbye and Edward walked me out to the car, handing me the keys. Once we were at the car, I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. I felt his arms come around me and I smiled at how good it felt to be in Edward's arms. I had fallen for him and hard. He was quickly becoming the most important person in my life.

"Are you sure you don't want me to be there with you when you tell your parents?" Edward asked me, concern in his voice. I knew that he hated that I was handling this on my own, but I knew my dad. He liked Edward, but he would need time to process the fact that Edward was divorced from one of his daughters only to be dating another one.

"Thanks, but I need to do this. Of course, I do want you there tomorrow. There is no way I want to be alone with Jessica when she finds out."

Edward grinned and kissed my lips. "I will be wherever you want me to be, love."

I smiled at my handsome boyfriend then got in the car, ready to face my parents. I just hoped that they would take it as well as Esme and Carlisle had.


	36. Chapter 36

BPOV

Chapter Thirty-six

Once I got to my parents' house, my heart started pounding. I was nervous and starting to regret not bringing Edward with me, though I knew realistically that it was better to do this without him. I just hoped that it didn't end up badly.

After I greeted my parents and answered their questions about how things were going in New York, I finally mustered up the courage to tell them truth.

"Mom, dad, there's something that I need to tell you and I really hope that you will be supportive of me."

My dad just stared at me and my mom immediately brought her hands to her mouth. I saw tears in her eyes as she said "Oh Charlie, our baby is pregnant. I knew we shouldn't have let her go off to New York alone!"

My mom had always been a drama queen, but I didn't think she would actually believe this of me. I wasn't that stupid. Of course, maybe it was good that this was her first thought. When she found out that I wasn't pregnant then maybe the news of who I was dating wouldn't seem so bad.

"Mom, I promise you that I'm not pregnant. I swear it is nothing that bad."

I saw the relief in her face as she finally breathed, realizing that she wasn't about to be made a grandmother. My father, however, still hadn't said anything. He had always been much calmer and much quieter than my mother, balancing her out perfectly. But as he looked at me waiting for me to tell him my news, I felt like he knew what I was going to say. It was slightly unnerving.

"I have a boyfriend. It's really serious."

My mom grinned then, clapping her hands. "Oh that's wonderful, sweetie! I hated it when you and Jake broke up, but I'm so glad that you found someone! What's he like? Is he cute? Is he successful?"

I laughed slightly at my mom because it was just like her to ask those questions, but the laughter died when I glanced at my dad. He did not look happy. Before I could say anything else, he finally spoke up for the first time since I started talking.

"Isabella, please tell me it isn't who I think you are going to say. I know that you know better than this."

He knew. I didn't know how he knew, but he did. And there was no way for me to lie to him. That was the entire purpose of this conversation, for me to tell my parents the truth.

"I'm sorry, daddy," I said, barely above a whisper. I knew that there was a possibility that they would be disappointed, but actually seeing the disappointment on my father's face almost killed me.

"How could you do this, Bella? Do you have any idea what this is going to do to this family? Do you care that little for your sister?" He asked me. He was still sitting in his seat, as calm as he had been when he first sat down. It wasn't a good sign.

"What are you talking about, Charlie?" My mom asked, still confused.

I had to get over with. "It's Edward. I'm seeing Edward. We started dating about a week after we both returned to New York from the Thanksgiving holiday."

My mom stared at me, at a loss for words which was probably a first for her. My dad stood up without saying another word and walked out of the house. I heard his car door slam and then the sound of him backing out of the driveway. Never in my life had my dad not been able to talk to me. It was worse than I had thought.

**A/N – I promise to update soon! There is going to be a little drama because how could there not be with this new revelation, but I promise not to prolong it! And, of course, there will be an HEA :)**


	37. Chapter 37

EPOV

Chapter Thirty-Seven

My parents left about an hour after Bella to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I decided to use that time to finalize my plans for our weekend together in Seattle. I called the hotel and made sure that they knew to have champagne, roses, and chocolate covered strawberries waiting in the room for us. I knew that Bella wasn't very into the whole romantic thing, but I did want to do nice things for her every once in a while. Besides, I had some rather unromantic fantasies regarding that champagne and licking it off of my beautiful girlfriend.

I had just finished my phone call to the hotel when I heard a knock on the front door. I ran downstairs to answer, hoping that it was Bella, but was more than a little surprised when I opened the door to find Charlie waiting. I had never before been afraid of Charlie, but from the look on his face I had a feeling that this was not meant to be a friendly visit.

"Edward," he said. "You and I need to have a little chat."

Shit. He sounded pissed and I could only assume that he had driven straight over here from his conversation with Bella. I really hoped that she was okay.

I let Charlie in and he followed me into the living room. I started to speak once we had sat down, but he held up his hand and stopped me.

"Save it, Edward. I'm sure you already have some speech planned out and I really don't want to hear it. What I want to hear is how you went from being married to one of my daughters to dating the next in less than a month."

"Sir, I promise you that I don't mean any disrespect to you or to either of your daughters. I never meant for any of this to happen. Jessica and I should have divorced years ago. Truthfully we probably should have never gotten married. I loved Jessica and she is wonderful, but we just weren't right for each other. We both tried to make it work and we just couldn't."

He looked at me, his face completely blank. The man had a damn good poker face. I had no idea what he was thinking or if I should be worried that he had brought his gun along.

"I know you and Jessica tried and I also know that you two weren't right for each other. You were a good boy and you turned into a good man. I don't hold the divorce against you. But you can bet your ass that I will hold it against you if you were cheating on my daughter, especially if it was with her own sister. So tell me right now, what the hell happened? And I want the truth, Edward. Don't try and bullshit me."

"I promise you that I never cheated on Jessica. I would not do that to her. But I'm not going to lie and say that my feelings for Bella are new. She and I got together for coffee about once a week or so after Jessica and I moved to New York. At first it was nothing more than me being nice to my wife's kid sister. At some point, however, I fell for her. She's amazing. But she wasn't the reason for my divorce and she and I did not go out or do anything together until after the divorce was final. I promise you this. I respect both of your daughters too much."

Charlie stared at me for a moment longer before nodding and leaning back in his chair. I relaxed slightly, only because I was fairly certain he wasn't going to shoot me. At least not today.

Finally he said, "I believe you. I also can't say I'm shocked. Bella didn't even have to tell me it was you, I knew it. I saw the way she looked at you last month at Thanksgiving. And I saw the way that you looked at her. I think that you are a good man, Edward. But Bella is my little girl, my baby. She thinks that she is strong and independent, but she is also passionate and loves with all of her heart. If you hurt her, I promise you that I will make your life a living hell."

I nodded, and replied "I have no intention of hurting her. She doesn't know it yet, but I love her. I love her more than I ever thought possible. She means the world to me."

"I know," Charlie said. "And you have my blessing."

I let out a breath of relief and chuckled slightly. "I'm not going to lie, Charlie, I thought you were either going to shoot me or kick my ass."

Charlie gave me a quick grin before standing up and walking to the front door. Before he walked out he turned around and smirked at me, saying "Oh I thought about it. Regardless of how much I like you, you are now taking a second daughter away from me. But then I realized that you still have to break the news to Jessica. And I have a feeling that she will give you a much bigger ass kicking than I could have. That will be worth me not doing it myself."


	38. Chapter 38

BPOV

Chapter Thirty-eight

My mom sat shocked after my dad left, and I had no idea what to do. Where was he going? Was he seriously pissed off at me? My dad and I had never fought before, so I didn't know what to think about his sudden departure.

My mom finally snapped out of her shock and looked at me with wide eyes. "Isabella, are you really dating Edward?" She asked, obviously still not sure that what she had heard was right. I nodded, not entirely sure what I should say to her about Edward. After the reaction my dad had, I was definitely worried that my mom would freak out even more than I had originally thought.

"You do realize that your sister is going to be pissed, don't you? Especially if you are the reason for her getting a divorce," my mom said.

"It wasn't like that, mom, I swear," I reassured her. "Nothing happened between Edward and I until after their divorce. This is all new. I admit that I've always had a crush on Edward, but there is no way that I would have ever acted on it while he was still married to Jessica."

"Sweetie, everyone knew that you had a crush on Edward when you were younger. You weren't exactly good at hiding it even though you thought you were. And I believe you about waiting until the divorce was finalized. You and Edward both are really great people, but I'm no idiot. Even if you didn't physically have an affair, I don't think that there has been nearly enough time since the divorce for the two of you to be so serious that you would need to tell your families about each other. It had to have been building, and if I'm smart enough to figure that out then I'm sure your sister is smart enough as well. You need to be prepared for that."

I couldn't believe how calm my mom was being. I had expected her to be the one that pitched a fit, not my dad. But I was just happy at the moment that at least one of my parents was still speaking to me rationally, giving me the chance to explain myself. So I told her everything. I started with when I first met Edward and ended with our conversation with his parents earlier that day. I left out all of the hot sex, of course, but nothing else.

When I finished my story she came and wrapped her arms around me, offering me comfort. I knew that she didn't exactly like the situation, but I also knew in that moment that she would stand by me, and for that I was grateful.

A few minutes later my phone beeped, signaling that I had a text. I picked it up and groaned at what I read.

_Your dad just left my house. Thankfully he seemed to calm down and didn't pull his gun out even once. – Edward_

_What?! I'm so sorry, Edward. I knew he was mad but I didn't think he would show up there. I hope that you're okay. – Bella_

_I'm fine baby, I promise. Call me later tonight when you get a chance. - Edward_

A few minutes later the front door opened and my dad walked back in. He didn't look as angry as before, but I was still wary of him. He had never been as mad before and it was a bit disconcerting.

"I'm not happy with you right now, Isabella," my dad said sternly. Then he continued "But I know that I can't stop you from dating someone, so I won't try. Just know that I'm not going to interfere when you tell your sister. She will not be happy, and I refuse to get in the middle of this. You and Edward are going to have to face her like adults and handle the fallout."

I nodded because I did know that as hard as it was to tell my parents, it was going to be even harder to tell Jessica. I doubted that she would take it well, and it would probably put a strain on my entire family. I hated that I was doing this to them, but I couldn't give up Edward.

**A/N – The next chapter will be the talk with Jessica! I have it written in both Edward and Bella's points of view, so I am still trying to decide which to post. But I will post it either tonight or in the morning!**


	39. Chapter 39

BPOV

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I was a nervous wreck the next day. Jessica was supposed to arrive at our parents' house around noon, so Edward was with me and we were waiting for her to show up. My parents had talked with me and said that they were going to do some last minute Christmas shopping and give Edward and me time alone to talk with Jessica. I understood why they were leaving and couldn't really blame them.

When Jessica walked in a few minutes after noon I saw the surprise on her face at seeing Edward. He and I were sitting on the couch together, though we weren't touching. I definitely didn't want to throw our relationship in Jessica's face by being affectionate with Edward as we were telling her about our relationship.

"Edward, my baby sister didn't say you were going to be here. How's single life in the Big Apple treating you?" Jessica asked him.

I interrupted him before he could answer. I knew that he was willing to be the one to actually tell Jessica, but I just couldn't let him. She was my sister, and I needed to tell her.

"Jess," I said, already forgetting the speech that I had practiced earlier today. I had it so planned out in my head, but now it was all muddled and just sounded way too rehearsed. So I scrapped it and decided to just talk to her from my heart.

"You're my big sister and I love you so much. And I would never ever intentionally set out to hurt you. I need you to understand that," I said to her.

She looked at me, obviously still confused but now also a little wary.

"Bella, you're freaking me out. What's going on?" She asked.

"It's Edward. Well, it's me and Edward. We are dating. I wanted to tell you in person."

She was quiet. I don't think that I had ever seen Jessica that quiet. She just kept looking back and forth between Edward and me, obviously trying to comprehend what I had said to her. Finally, she snapped her eyes to Edward, glaring at him.

"Is this why you wanted the divorce? My sister? You asked for a divorce because you were screwing my baby sister? How could you Edward?" She screamed and then she turned to me.

"And you! You know, it was cute when you were a teenager and had little doe eyes for my husband. But now? It's just pathetic, Bella. What kind of person screws her own sister's husband?"

"It's not like that, Jess, I swear!" I exclaimed. "I promise you it isn't like that. Edward never cheated on you. We never did anything while you were married. This just happened since Thanksgiving. I would never, ever, take your husband from you. You have to believe me!"

"She's telling the truth, Jessica," Edward said. "You and I were having problems long before we came to New York. The divorce was mutual and you know it. You wanted the divorce just as much as I did. But it wasn't because of Bella. It was because of our own problems. I didn't cheat on you."

Jessica just laughed. "Do the two of you seriously think that I'm that fucking dumb? It's been less than a month since our divorce was finalized! You expect me to believe that the two of you somehow randomly got together in the past couple of weeks and got serious enough to tell me you were dating? Well fuck both of you! This entire situation is completely fucked up, but the fact that you are lying is even worse!"

I was crying at this point and Jessica was getting angrier and angrier. I didn't what to do or say to make this better. She obviously didn't believe us and I was starting to think that the things that she was saying were right. Edward and I didn't physically cheat on Jessica, but what about emotionally? It was a fucked up situation and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't lose Edward, but I hated hurting my sister.

"Jessica please, just let me and your sister try and explain. I know that this is a shock, but we need to talk through it."

"There's nothing to explain!" Jessica screamed. "My sister is fucking my ex-husband. That's all I need to know. Now if you two will excuse me, I'm going to check into a hotel. There's no way in hell I'm staying in this house with either of you here."

And with that she got up and walked out the front door, slamming it behind her. I just cried even harder in Edward's arms. My life was such a mess and I couldn't figure out how to fix it without losing someone that I loved in the process.

**A/N – Tomorrow I will post Edward's thoughts on the talk and the rest of Christmas in Forks. Then we will get the sweet vacation that Edward has planned for Bella. The story is wrapping up. There are still things that our couple has to work out, but it will get better for them. I am hoping to have the entire story posted for you guys by the end of next week!**

**Thank you to everyone that is still reading and reviewing.. it means a lot to me! Masquerade will have an update soon as well for any of my readers that are also following that story. **


	40. Chapter 40

EPOV

Chapter Forty

Christmas Day was hard. After Jessica had left the day before, Bella was beyond upset. I had to admit that I was worried about her and that she would leave me. I was scared that she would want to make things better with her sister and that she would do so by deciding she and I no longer needed to date. I hated feeling helpless, and I hated that our first Christmas as a couple was ruined.

Bella was spending the day with her parents. I had invited her to spend time with me and my family, but she didn't want to leave her mom and dad, especially since she didn't know if Jessica would show up.

"Edward, sweetheart," my mom said at some point that afternoon. I had not exactly been in the Christmas spirit and she could tell. "I know you're upset, but try and enjoy the day. That was a lot for Jessica to have to take in yesterday. Give her some time to process it and then maybe you and Bella can talk to her again."

"I'm just worried that Bella will leave me. I can't lose her, mom. I love her."

My mom smiled and patted my back. "I know you do. Everything will work out, Edward."

A couple of hours later I was staring at my phone, contemplating whether or not I should ask Bella if I could see her. I wanted to give her the Christmas gift that I had for her. And I wanted to see her. I hated not being able to spend the day with her after everything that happened. Just as I was about to call, there was a knock on the front door.

"Edward!" My mom called. "There's somewhere here to see you!"

I headed downstairs, hoping that it was Bella. I was definitely taken by surprise when I saw Jessica standing in my parents' foyer.

"Jessica, what are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Can we talk? I think that we need to talk," she responded and I nodded. I motioned for her to follow me into the living room.

"I spent all last night thinking about you and my sister," Jessica began. "I was so angry at first because I didn't know how you could be dating my baby sister. Then I was hurt and I was confused. And then I realized that the only reason I was hurt was because I thought that you had cheated on me."

"Jessica," I interrupted, wanting to explain to her again that I hadn't cheated on her, but she stopped me.

"No, let me finish. I sat there last night so angry that you would do this to me. That Bella would do this to me. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it just didn't make sense. Our problems started in LA before we ever moved. I know that. And I also know that neither of us were in contact with Bella at that point. Our problems weren't because of her. So now I'm not sure what to think about you two. Please just tell me the truth, Edward. I promise not to freak out like I did yesterday, I just need to know. Did you cheat on me with Bella?"

I shook my head. "I promise you that I didn't, Jess. I will admit that I was attracted to her. She and I had seen each other a couple of times in the city and I liked the girl that I was getting to know. But nothing happened until the divorce was final. Your sister had nothing to do with it."

Jessica was quiet for a few minutes, processing what I told her. I just hoped that she believed me. I didn't want to wreck whatever relationship she had with Bella.

Finally she spoke again. "I believe you. It's still hard to even imagine. How is it that my ex-husband and my sister are now together? But honestly, I don't love you anymore. At least not in any kind of romantic sense. That has been over for us for a long time. I knew you would move on and I was ready for it. I just never imagined that it would be with my sister."

"Neither of us meant for that to happen. I hate that we hurt you. But I can't give up Bella. I love her."

Jessica smiled then and patted my hand. "Then I suggest you tell her, Edward. I talked to her earlier, briefly, when I went to see my parents. I told her that I needed to talk to you but that I was sorry for leaving yesterday. It's going to take some time for me to adjust to this situation, but I'm going to try. I promise you that."

After Jessica left, I ran upstairs to grab my coat. I had to go see Bella. I couldn't wait any longer to tell her how I felt about her.


	41. Chapter 41

EPOV

Chapter Forty-One

I sent Bella a text as soon as Jessica left and asked her if I could come see her. She texted me back and told me to come over, so I told my parents bye and headed to see Bella.

The minute she opened the door, I pulled her into my arms. I hugged her as close to me as I could, just wanting to feel her again. I had missed her and I had been so worried about her after what happened yesterday with her sister.

"I can't lose you, Bella," I whispered to her and she leaned her head back to look at me.

"You aren't going to, Edward. I promise. We are going to work through this."

I nodded and gently kissed her, but she wanted more. She fisted her hands in my hair and ran her tongue across my lips. The kiss became heated, but I had to pull away.

"Baby, we can't do this with your parents here. Your dad doesn't need another excuse to hate me," I told her, but she just grinned and grabbed my hand, leading me upstairs.

"They aren't here," she said. "They went to see some friends that were having a Christmas party. They will be gone for hours. And I can't wait. I need you, Edward."

That was all that I needed to hear. I picked her up and brought her into her childhood room, kicking the door closed behind me. I sat down on the bed with her in my lap and she continued to kiss me as she worked the buttons on the front of my shirt. She got it open, but left it hanging on me as she ran her hands across my chest.

Bella was wearing a skirt, so I hiked it up around her waist and ran my hands up her thighs. I could feel through her panties how wet she was, and it turned me on more than I thought possible. I had to have her right then, and the way she was moaning above me let me know that she wanted it now, too.

I stood up and laid her down on the bed, pulling her panties down her legs. I quickly undid my belt and pants and she grabbed my cock, urging me towards her. Without even taking off the rest of our clothes, I thrust into her, groaning as she cried out my name. It was hot and fast and exactly what we both needed. It didn't take either of us long to orgasm, but it was intense.

I stood up a few minutes later and Bella giggled as she looked at me. I quirked an eyebrow at her and she just kept laughing.

"What exactly do you find funny?" I asked her, with a teasing tone. She raised up on the bed and started buttoning my shirt back up.

"I've never had a boy in my room before," she said. "And then the first time that I do it's to have hard and fast sex with my sister's ex-husband. I know that it shouldn't be funny, but I can't help but laugh. This situation is just so surreal."

I dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and then sat next to her on the bed. "Jessica came to my house today to talk to me," I told her.

I could tell that she was surprised, so I told her everything that was said.

"Wow," she said when I was finished. "I hardly know what to say. Jessica has definitely matured a lot. I figured she would hold this grudge forever and that you and I would never have a good relationship with her again. I'm glad that she came and talked to you, though."

"I'm glad, too. I was worried that if Jessica didn't come around that you were going to leave me."

She shook her head and said "You aren't getting rid of me that easily, baby. I would have figured out a way to make it work. I'm just glad that now I don't have to. I know that things won't just immediately be wonderful with her, but at least I know she doesn't hate us."

I almost told her then that I loved her. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her how I felt about her, but I waited. Instead I gave her the Christmas surprise that I had for her and told her to pack because the next day we were headed to Seattle for a weekend together. She threw her arms around me and kissed across my face, which led to round two in her childhood bed. I couldn't get enough of Bella. I was just glad to know that I would never have to stop trying.


	42. Chapter 42

EPOV

Chapter Forty-Two

The next day Bella and I arrived in Seattle. All I would tell her about the weekend was that we were spending it in Seattle, and she was bouncing in the passenger seat next to me with anticipation. She was excited about the trip and I was just happy that I had been able to put that smile on her face. With the drama of Jessica sort of behind us, I wanted to spend the weekend focusing on Bella.

I finally pulled up to the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle and Bella turned to me with a huge smile on her face. "Edward!" She exclaimed. "I've always wanted to stay here! I can't believe that you actually brought me here!"

I chuckled and leaned over to kiss her before getting out of the car. I hadn't known that she wanted to stay at this hotel, but it was the first one that I thought of when I decided to book this trip for us. I had ordered a suite that overlooked the water, and I hoped that it was everything Bella had always dreamed of when she thought of this hotel. I needed her to like the room because I planned on us spending a lot of time in it. As much as I would like to explore the city with Bella, I knew that there was no way I would be able to give up all the alone time that I would have with her and the things that I could do to her in our room. I was definitely looking forward to it.

Bella's reaction to the room didn't disappoint me. She ran into the room exclaiming how perfect it was before walking to the window and looking out. I could see the excitement on her face and I couldn't help but grin at how carefree she looked in that moment. It was perfect.

There were rose petals all over the bed and a bottle of champagne chilling on the bedside table. I was having fantasies about drinking the champagne off of Bella's delicious skin. I was hard already and wanted nothing more than to take Bella against the window that she was currently looking out of. The view of the water behind her was nothing compared to how beautiful she looked, but I had to be patient. I planned on taking my time with her. But first, I planned on telling her how I felt.

"You're so beautiful, Bella," I told her as I stepped behind her. I ran my fingers through her hair before gathering it in my hand and pulling it away from her neck. I leaned down and placed hot, open-mouthed kisses across the skin of her neck that I had just exposed. I felt her shiver under my touch.

Bella turned from the window and wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing her body flush with mine. I breathed in her scent and realized that I couldn't hold it in any longer. I had to tell her. She meant everything to me and I couldn't go another minute without her knowing. I looked into her beautiful brown eyes, and I told her.

"I love you, Bella. I love you so much."

**A/N – I know, I'm so terrible for leaving the chapter like this! But I promise to update another chapter tonight and it will be BPOV and her response to Edward :)**


	43. Chapter 43

BPOV

Chapter Forty-Three

_I love you, Bella. I love you so much._

I could feel the tears as Edward's words of love echoed in my mind.

_I love you, Bella. I love you so much._

I could see in his eyes that he meant what he was saying. I could see the love radiating off of him and I wondered how I never noticed it before. It was plain as day to me now.

_I love you, Bella. I love you so much._

I stared at him, a huge smile coming across my face. I crashed my lips to his, needing to kiss him in that moment. I needed to feel him, to know that it was real and that this wasn't just a dream. Edward kissed me back, tightening his arms around me. He lifted me so that my legs were wrapped around his waist, and I could feel him walking us to the bed. I wanted him so badly, but I had to stop him. I had to tell him that he wasn't alone in these feelings.

"Edward," I said, pulling back from him so that I could look into his eyes. I could see the worry in them that maybe I didn't feel the same. I could see the hope that maybe one day I would. I could read him like a book in that moment, and again I wondered how I didn't figure it out sooner. How did I not know that he felt the same way about me that I had always felt about him?

"I love you, too, Edward. I've loved you for so long. And I've wanted to tell you for so long."

He smiled then, the most breathtaking smile that I had ever seen. The complete and utter happiness on his face was possibly the most beautiful thing in the world to me. I never wanted to see anything but that happiness on his face again. I would do anything in my power to make sure he always knew that I loved him.

"God, Bella, you have no idea what hearing those words means to me. You have no idea what you mean to me. You came back into my life when I didn't even know you were what I wanted and needed and somehow you became my entire life. You mean everything to me. I love you and I promise that I will love you forever."

That was all I needed to hear from him. All of the doubt that I had vanished, and I knew then that we would make this work.

Edward spent the rest of the weekend showing me exactly how much he loved me. When it came time to leave, it was bittersweet. I was sad to be leaving Seattle and our perfect little bubble of happiness where it was just the two of us. But I was also happy to go back to our lives in New York. I was ready to actually start a life with Edward. We still had issues to deal with and things to sort out, but I knew that we could work out anything. We would be fine. We had each other.

**A/N – And of course she loves him back! She's only loved him since she was a teenager :)**

**This is sort of the end. I'm not quite hitting the complete button because there are a couple of more chapters that I want to post about their life back in New York, but this is their happily ever after! The next couple of chapter will wrap up some lingering issues with Jessica and Bella's parents, but it will all be good. The drama is over and our couple can enjoy each other!**


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